TinyWarz Rangers
by Megazord Master
Summary: The Overlord Drakor has been released. Can the combined might of the TinyWarz Power Rangers stop him and his evil? And what of those left behind on Earth? Rated R for disturbing images.
1. New Place, Familiar Face

TinyWarz Rangers

Disclaimer: Power Rangers is not mine. TinyWarz is not mine. Anything you don't recognise is mine. All names in the TinyWarz universe belong to their respective players – including Frizz. PRAU in my Dark Universe. Spoilers for my other work – which includes self insert. Slight OOC. Absolutely no Mary-Sue in here. All TW in-game info is current.

Timeline – Post PROO. Ronny is now 24.

TinyWarz Rangers

Chapter One: New Place, Familiar Face

Year 2007 – Orbiting the Planet Konu.

She smiled to herself. It had taken months for her to get accepted into the TW space program – even with the backing of Andrew Hartford and NASADA. But here she was, Veronica "Ronny" Robinson, walking towards the office of Supreme Commander Frizz, nervous as hell. The interstellar flight was a bit slow for her liking, but it had gotten her to the TW HQ fast enough. She slowly breathed out, her long brown hair sweeping gently across her shoulders, wondering for the umpteenth time how she was going to do. She fingered her Overdrive Tracker on her arm nervously. True, she hadn't had to use her Morpher for a few years, but she liked to be prepared for anything.

It was normal for "new blood" to report straight to Frizz, but she liked looking around first. She couldn't get into anywhere though – even clad in her Overdrive uniform. Most of the people around her wore eerily similar clothing – a black shirt under a long sleeved leather jacket with black slacks. Well…if she primed herself right, she could get into whatever trouble she liked…

Mack had jokingly called her a "trouble magnet" – because everywhere she went, danger followed. It was one of the reasons she had applied for the TW space program. Well, that and the constant thrill of battle, hulking mekas and the endless modifications, customisations and tweaks she could put on her vehicle. Stopping in her steps, she blinked.

_OK…too much time thinking like Rose. Where the…oh my God…_

Her eyes were drawn to one figure in the crowd. Screams of "DIE!" punctuated the air as she somehow crept closer. He was just the same as she remembered him. Tall, slightly built, closely cropped black hair, sharp hawk-like features and a squared jaw caused by a prominent overbite. It was Weihan Liang. The Ranger that had single-handedly saved the team from defeat – only to leave after the battles. She had to admit, though, he still was as cute as ever. He was currently engaged in some light-hearted banter with some people.

"Well, I've got a few variant Mite Mekas on the Black Market."

_Oh God_, she thought as she inwardly withheld a moan. His voice was still as smooth as ever, with a low undercurrent of humour and seriousness. One of the people walking past – a heavyset Asian – called over to him.

"Oh yeah? How much?"

"11,000 credits, mint condition and all slotted. I've even –"

A pause as she saw him look in her direction. His eyes lit up as he jogged forward, towards her – conveniently ending his trade discussion – to the chagrin of the willing buyer. He still held an air of authority around him, but – damn – he looked good.

_Even better than Tyzonne?_

Damn. That was the rogue thought again – always reminding her of what she had left behind on Earth – but she wouldn't have given this opportunity up for the world. Especially if it meant seeing Weihan again.

As Weihan neared her, he felt his breath quicken. Ronny still looked beautiful. His eyes swept over her body, taking in every inch of her. She was simply stunning. He tried to calm himself. He knew what was going on. His crystal was part of the problem anyway. He walked up to her and they embraced like old friends – which they were. As much as he wanted more, he knew that the mission came first. He they parted, he began a mental checklist of everything that needed to be done.

It wasn't calming him down. His brain went into hyperdrive, crazily telling his lower anatomy to behave itself, although he really should have known better. That wasn't working…as expected.. Then, he realised she was looking at him with barely suppressed mirth – presuming correctly that it was directed at him. He took in a deep breath and steeled himself, running his tongue over his lips to prepare himself. Maybe he should have checked in with AJ instead of walking away but…well that had been then and now was now – to reuse the old cliché.

"Ronny"

She started at the sound of her name. Weihan bit down on the inside of his cheek, trying not to laugh. It felt good, seeing her again, feeling her body pressed up against his…and he should get his brain back on the mission before he ended up pouncing on her. He spoke again, dimly aware of GenStryker and Whistles384 moving the crowd away.

"We have a problem. I – _we_ – need your help."

Ronny stopped short at his words, a tingle running down her spine. She didn't know who else needed her help, but she was damned if she was going to pass up another opportunity to work with the Ranger that had almost single-handedly saved their butts from Dryken. Nodding once, she opened her mouth to respond but was cut off abruptly by his next words.

"We need Power Rangers"

TBC…

AN: This is getting a slight rewrite and an edit to align it with the rest of the Ultra Crystals timeline. This and every other chapter will have things added, deleted and rewritten.


	2. Revival

AN: More edits and rewrites.

Chapter Two – Revival

Deep within the bowels of Hadeas, there lies a place so secret, that the so called "explorers" on the surface have never penetrated it. It is a rocky cavern, with highly advanced technology, weapons and tracking systems. It is also the revival point for one of the most horrific Sha'Kahr Overlords, one whose long list of atrocities committed would almost rival that of the alien warlord Xonix. Slowly, the energy began to build up in the centre of the room. The scouts and technicians stopped what they were doing and watched – both in fear and awe. As the energy concentrated itself, a laugh of pure evil echoed throughout the chamber. The result was near-instantaneous.

Every Sha'Kahr scout, technician and pilot ran – except for one.

He was tall, well built and possibly handsome – if you could overlook the crown of horns on top of his head. His four arms were held across his broad chest – an ancient sign of respect and admiration. With a sabre on his belt, he knew that he would serve his Lord well. Finally – after what seemed to be an eternity – the energy form spoke.

"Who…who are you?"

The warrior chuckled in his throat. Trust Drakor to not remember who he was. _Well,_ he thought, _he has an excuse at least. _He replied to his Lord in a voice that brought a smile to the being's eyes.

"I am your most loyal warrior, Drakor. My name is Spurex."

**Location: Konu**

Wait…_Power Rangers_? She couldn't have heard him right. There was nothing worth taking here…except for those odd planets which jumped at the end of their "horizon". What was there out here? She knew that the original creator of the Power Rangers, Zordon, had never ever intended for a team to be established this far out of registered space…but then again Mr. Hartford had never thought that a Mercurian would wield Ranger Powers either. She guessed fate worked in strange ways. Dimly, she was aware of Weihan staring at her – or waiting patiently for her response. She exhaled slowly, noticing Weihan's gaze drift towards her lips.

"Well…the one question I have is this. Who are we up against?"

Weihan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He couldn't fault her for asking – for being naturally curious, but this was a big issue. He had left the Elemental Dragons under the protection of the rest of the Ultra Rangers, so he knew that they were in good hands…but if Drakor came to Earth, they would be the first to fall. They still had their Morphers, but the power of the Elements wouldn't stand up to the raw fury of the Sha'Kahr – their battles with Yit notwithstanding. If that wasn't enough on his plate, there was that little issue with his crystal…but he had something in the wings. The only problem with that was how it would gel with the rest of his Powers, assuming he found a way to wield them to their fullest extent again. He would cross that bridge when he came to it…just like he had done so with Sam, Ashley, Emma, the debacle with Liz's boyfriend, Bree, the Ranger Sentinels…

All right, maybe that wasn't the best phrase he could have used.

"We don't know. Reports coming out from the fledgling Affliction base reported a major energy surge about five minutes ago. This surge was pure Morphin energy."

He shook his head. He had never imagined seeing her here again…not after the way they had parted after the mission. He cleared his throat and swallowed, noticing the way her eyes were drawn to him. If anything, this would be an interesting mission…and he would stop that train of thought right now before it had the chance to turn into anything solid. The last solid relationship had been with Nisha and that had ended a few weeks ago when he had been 'summoned' to take part in the Bandit Overlord base smashing. That had felt rather oddly like the destruction of Xonix's first Moon Fortress but he had kept his mouth shut.

"We've run about twelve thousand resonance checks. We've sent about twelve messages out to Ranger-defended worlds including Earth, Aquitar and Eltare. We've read Zordon's logs and diaries and we know who we're dealing with."

She waited. When no answer was forthcoming, she prodded him. She knew that all this hooplah was just his way of stalling for time. The mention of Zordon gave it away.

Zordon – the creator of the Earth-based Morphin Grid, the source of energy all Rangers tapped into – no matter where they were in the universe. The very same Zordon who had been trapped in a time warp millennia ago by Rita Repulsa. The same Zordon who had sacrificed himself at the end of the Countdown…to purge the universe of the evil threatening at the time and, if it was to be believed, the one who had personally 'come back' from death to deliver a message of hope to the first generation of Elemental Rangers. All Rangers – past, present and future were dedicated to upholding Zordon's dream. Weihan knew something big was around the corner, but he wasn't sharing the information…

_Just like on the mission,_ she thought bitterly. So caught up in her thoughts, she almost missed Weihan's reply.

"He's called Drakor. He's the only Sha'Kahr to be personally imprisoned by Zordon himself. I don't know why he's chosen now – of all times – to rise up. But he has and while he's relatively weak, we need to prepare."

Ronny stopped in her tracks at that. Prepare? With what? Sure, the Overdrive Powers were still intact, but one ranger wasn't going to do much against an army. The rest of the Ultra Rangers and their private army could do something but they had Xonix to deal with, not to mention new Rangers to train. And with Weihan, seemingly the strongest of the Ultra Rangers, here on the front lines…if anything happened to him, they would be toast. She said all of this to him and watched him smile gently. Of course, he had this all figured out…

"We have morphers. Your Overdrive Tracker won't be enough against them – you'll be ripped to shreds. I don't want that to happen any more than you do. I care about you too much for anything to happen."

Well, that answered her question on whether he was interested in her. The larger question now was – where were they going? She asked him and, like before, he smiled – this time larger than before. It seemed to light up his face – if not the entire room, filling her with a sense of peace, warmth and serenity. His voice was filled with love. For what, she didn't know, but she sensed that it was directed at her.

"We, as in you and I, are going to meet your team of Power Rangers"

TBC…


	3. First Meeting

Chapter Three – First Meeting

Simon Carville waited nervously in the room. At 21, he was one of the youngest field commanders in the Academy. Why they would pick him for an honour this big was beyond him. He ran a hand through his long brown hair and closed his eyes – deep in thought. He felt awed at how this had happened – and shocked at the speed. His green eyes flicked to the other occupant in the room – Katherine Murphy. She looked out of place – with blue eyes, shoulder-length red hair and a general valley-girl attitude. She was sort of cute, but not for him. Besides, he had heard rumours that the new girl was hotter – but taken.

He didn't put much stock into that though. Everyone on Earth had said that he was too arrogant for his own good – that he had to fail to succeed or that he would one day meet his match. He didn't think he was arrogant or over-confident. His previous girlfriends had left him – stating that he had come on too strongly or that he was inflexible. He took it as a compliment – simply because he wouldn't see it any other way. He was brought up believing that showing any emotion was a sign of weakness – a chink in his armour that people could exploit.

In his eyes, he was born to lead. That was why he had been chosen for the Top Secret Ranger project. He was going to be the Red Ranger – the leader of the Rangers. He could do anything he wanted with the Power and nothing would stop him from getting all the girls around him.

Finally, he would achieve greatness.

Katherine "Kat" Murphy watched the slender young man across the room. He projected an aura of exaggerated confidence and boldness – something that did not sit well with her. Unlike him, she knew her own boundaries and what she was and wasn't capable of. Leading – while it wasn't her field of expertise – was something she was capable of. So was hand to hand fighting. Weapon combat, she wasn't so keen on – mainly because she had no training whatsoever. Her eyes flicked over to Simon again and she gently chewed her bottom lip.

He was handsome, but too brash – too arrogant. She, too, had been chosen for the Ranger program, but she held no delusion on what colour she would probably be. She knew that there would be three core Rangers – Red, Yellow and Black. The uniforms would be modelled after the Yellow Overdrive Ranger, but they would give the impression of the formal TW Officer uniforms. The weapons were hand-crafted from the finest Zycordian steel, with the perfect blend of magic and technology. Of course, she had NO idea how the Zords worked, but being man made, she didn't put much faith in them.

She knew the image she projected – one of a ditzy valley girl. She had worked her ass off to overcome that image, but everywhere she went, it seemed to be thrust in her face. On Earth, she was always the centre of attention – even when she didn't want to be. Escaping on a shuttle bound for the farthest reaches of the universe was a dream come true for her…and a veritable nightmare for her parents. She knew they wanted her "safe and secure", but even in the reasonable quiet of Sydney, there had been a few close calls with monsters. Compared with monster bashing, Bandit hunting seemed like a piece of cake. Then the offer had come.

The sound of the door opening brought the two occupants' eyes up…straight into the faces of Weihan and Ronny.

_What the hell?_

Ronny's thought echoed loudly in her head as she set eyes on the two potential rangers. The male seemed to be over confident and was leering at her. Unconsciously, she leant closer to Weihan, not minding when he wrapped an arm around her waist. Somehow, the feeling of being near him was intoxicating, alluring and protective all at once. She had never ever felt like this with anyone – not even Tyzonne. That had been one of the defining factors in their pseudo-relationship – that she could never feel safe with him. With Weihan, she felt secure. And, judging by the death glare the male recruit was receiving, the feeling was mutual.

She knew that from her tenure as the Yellow Ranger that she had changed. She was no longer so competitive or driven by an inner need to win. She knew when to hang back and let others take the spotlight, as well as taking matters into her own hands when necessary. One of the last things that Mr. Hartford had told her stuck in her memory.

"_Ronny, you have great potential inside you. You can, and will, succeed in anything life throws at you. Even though you have served as a Yellow – you are a true Red at heart."_

A _true_ Red. What was meant by that? To her knowledge, she had never taken away the spotlight from Mack or even Tyzonne. She had done her part and her duty. She had lived up to Zordon's dream and vision. She didn't know how to lead anyway. If anyone was going to take the lead, it surely would be Weihan. Although, leading had a certain ring to it…

She gave the female recruit a quick once over. Sure, she could _taste_ the fact that she was a valley girl, but she could see the determination and drive that lay underneath. The female was a mirror image of herself at that age. She looked over at Weihan, to see him looking at her wistfully. She wondered what he was thinking about.

_Oh man, this is going to be bad. Just look at them. Simon has a superiority complex, Kat is a self-styled Valley girl…OK, she's trying to break out of that mould, which is admirable, but she has a long way to go. The only member I can count on now is Ronny…but I how can we be a team when my feelings for her aren't reciprocated?_

Weihan's mind was a whirlwind. He could see potential in the two new recruits, but the leer Simon was giving Ronny was giving _him_ a serious case of the green-eyed monster. He smiled as he felt her lean close to him, his arm slipping unconsciously around her waist. He felt at ease when she was around, but there was that feeling of insecurity. He knew he couldn't fault it – it was what made him human after all – but that didn't mean he had to like it.

Inwardly, he sighed. Being a Ranger had taken a heavy toll on him. In a way it had forced him to grow up fast. He could've only gotten away with the innocence he had if he had stopped after the first battle – but he couldn't do that. Throughout his twelve years, he had seen all sorts of things that grown men would scream at. He liked to think he was stronger…but then again, who they were up against was a menace bigger than Dark Spectre, Mesogog and Discord put together. At least the Discord thing had ended on a somewhat reasonable note but he still shuddered as he thought of the consequences. He really should have thought to transplant a version of the Dimensional Door.

It wasn't as if he didn't have time to love. On the contrary – he was looking for the right person to show up now that AJ was…off the table. He had just seen too much death and destruction. He wasn't even sure that – if his feelings for Ronny were returned – he could give out love and support anymore, not like the love and support he had given out when he was still with AJ. For him, life had become one large battlefield needing precise logic, tactics and explanations. Mentally shaking his head, he chastised himself for thinking about AJ for the third time that day. She had made a choice and it was all he could do to honour her unspoken wish to be left alone and to not go after her to fill the void in the Ultra Rangers.

His arm tightened around Ronny's waist and he felt her adjust herself to his grip. God, she was beautiful. He really regretted abruptly leaving after the Dryken Mission, but he needed to – the first energy pulse had been tracked down. He had only returned to collect a few things, give out instructions to Eliza and Bree and break up with Nisha, that had put him in a bit of a freefall for a few days. He hoped that once things had settled down a fair bit, he would sit down with Ronny and explain his actions…that is, if he didn't kill Simon first. That kid would seriously get himself and his team hurt if he didn't step up to the task. Of course, he had absolutely no intention of giving _him_ the Red TW Tracker. Even though Conner, Mack and Paris had grown into the role of Red Ranger, there was something about Simon that set off his radar.

His eyes flicked to Kat briefly and he groaned in his head. She had been hand selected by Kimberley Hart-Oliver to be a part of the team. He always trusted Kim's opinion on nearly everything, but to pick a Valley Girl? He suppressed a shudder and then chastised himself. Kim, herself, had become an excellent Ranger and role model for future generations, so there was a chance that she would break free of her material trappings. He knew she was trying to do just that and her efforts – small as they may have been – were truly pleasing. He glanced at Ronny, her body pressed up against his, and smiled. If she did well in her first few battles, he would consider putting out a call for Bree and Olivia to come to Konu to have a chat with her. Where Shannon was these days was anyone's guess.

As far as first impressions went, the only person he trusted implicitly was Ronny. He knew she trusted him as well – but he was very unsure about her feelings for him. He sighed and swallowed. Nodding his head once, he signalled for one of the new recruits – Pie_Masta – to come in. The recruit entered gingerly, holding a briefcase – emblazoned with Andrew Hartford's Operation Overdrive logo.

It was time to act.

TBC…


	4. The Power Of Red

Chapter Four – The Power

Spurex was tired of waiting. His master had fully reformed and was looking better than ever…if you could call it that. His face had…solidified, leaving him unable to talk normally. Needless to say, when Drakor had found this out, he was pretty blasé about it. Spurex had panicked, until he heard his master's voice echoing in his head, silencing him. If anything, Drakor's telepathic voice was more powerful then it had ever been. It boomed out, sending his minions running away in fear.

Another rude shock was the fact that Drakor's lower torso had been severed sometime before he was imprisoned. Spurex had gone into another panic attack – which did not reflect well upon him – until he had an idea. Cobbling up pieces of scrap metal and circuitry, he was able to create a set of strong, sturdy and perfectly serviceable legs for him. Drakor had praised his efforts and had then left to find out where Zordon had gone to. Whoever Zordon was, it was a mystery to him. He had grown up hearing stories about the great warrior Drakor was and how he had vanquished all in his path. Of course, he had to keep up that act as everything had to be preserved to keep the time loops in check. The slightest deviation could potentially spell the death and destruction of everything.

Patience was a virtue, his mother kept telling him. He was patient enough, but any and all delays were truncated with a well placed laser blast. He was basically exhausted, between the panic attacks and his construction work; he was dead on his feet. To make matters worse, his maturation spikes were due out any day now. Of course, that would mean extra damage for his enemies, but they would hurt like hell when they burst out. He rolled his shoulders in irritation as his various trips through created time portals had his spikes bursting out and then retracting in almost like clockwork. His ears perked up at the sound of a fist impacting against an electronic console. He sighed, shaking his head.

Zordon was probably dead anyway, so why worry?

Drakor stared at the screen in total and utter shock, before punching the console he was working on. Zordon of Eltare – the being who had imprisoned him – was dead. Had been dead for the past eight years. He couldn't believe it. He was dead – and by the hand of a Ranger no less. His motivation for revenge had totally been swept out from under him. Well, not totally.

The Rangers were still around. He knew that if it weren't for those four Rangers, he would have escaped Zordon's wrath. He clenched his fist tightly, not caring that the metal dug into his skin. Those Rangers were probably all dead by now and he had forgotten what they looked like anyway but the principle was still the same. He shut his three eyes and sighed. He had to work out a plan of action. He had all but forgotten about Spurex – his ever loyal general. How he had survived unscathed throughout the years was strange, but he didn't want to question his good fortune just yet. He was sure that the planet above would be of use to him, but it was filled with new sights, sounds and meat sacks.

He didn't want to fall into he villain cliché, but he had to do something. The Universe had all but forgotten his name and the power he once held. The scattered reports on the Intergalactic grapevine had continued mentioning of some unknown factor called 'Xonix'. He vaguely recalled some being called Xon'ixia, but to think they were one and the same was pathetically laughable. Shaking his head once more, Drakor's hand rose to stroke his immobile jaw. He needed to see what the beings on the planet above could do and that meant he needed to figure out the first order of business. Many of his contacts were most likely destroyed, but he knew of a few that would have survived and the planet name which would have kept them safe.

Onyx.

Location: Konu

Weihan took the case from Pie_Masta and then nodded once. The new recruit got the message and left quickly, closing the door behind her. He looked at the closed door and sighed. Pie was a wonderful recruit, but she was under suspicion for a number of things, including theft. He knew that somewhere deep down, she was a good person, but until she realised it herself…there was no hope for her. It was almost as if she had embraced deception as a way of life but, somehow, he didn't think so. He turned to Ronny and the recruits and started to speak. In the small room, his voice boomed out – like Zordon's once had.

"What I am about to tell you is a secret to all but the highest ranked people, both here – on the HQ ship – and on Earth. Millennia ago, a morphological being known as Zordon fought an interstellar war against an evil sorceress named Rita Repulsa. For Rangers alike, this is of no surprise. However, during that war, Rita enlisted the services of a brutal warrior. Billions of lives were cut short by his hands – he showed absolutely no mercy in what he did. That warrior was Drakor."

He could have sworn he heard a pin drop. It was clear that no one – not even Ronny – was expected to hear that. Looking over at her again, he noted how cute she looked when she was in shock. He shook himself out of it. This was not the time to be fantasising over how she would be like in bed. Closing his eyes, he rubbed the bridge of his nose and tried to concentrate on the problem at hand. He could fantasise about her later and, if he played his cards right, could even experience it first-hand. After all, AJ was…no, he wouldn't think about that now. opening his eyes, he took in a breath and pened his mouth again.

"Not much is known about the Ranger team that caught him – only that they were well trained in various martial arts…and that their Yellow Ranger was a bit of a prick. Our words, not theirs."

A ripple of laughter went through the group and they relaxed as one. Ronny leant back into his arms and stared at the case in his hand. She had wondered what Mr. Hartford had to do with what was happening out here. Gazing at Weihan, she noticed – for the first time – the strain he was under. He had a light coat of sweat on his skin and seemed to be twitching more than usual. The twitching was due to the ever-changing nature of his Power. He exhaled slowly and then spoke. His voice was softer than usual, but – due to the small room – echoed loudly.

"A while ago, I discovered that the Morphin Grid was attempting to expel a solid mass from within itself. After some deep digging and heated conversations with various members of the Eltarean government, I discovered that Zordon had trapped Drakor within the Light side of the Morphin Grid. It took a large loss of energy – brought about by his sacrifice – to weaken the energy prison. Now that Zordon is dead, Drakor will need information and, due to his stubborn pride, he will not ask for it from Xonix. This gives us time before he attacks. It is time to give you the Power. Veronica Robinson, step forward"

Ronny carefully disengaged herself from his arms and stood in front of him – for the first time staring into his eyes. What she saw drew a muted gasp out of her. She saw that he _did_ love her as much as she loved him and a silent promise to explain what had happened during the mission and the short gap between asking for their former PR officer's address and his sullen mood after. She also saw determination, strength, fierce loyalty to his friends and team and compassion. She knew that no matter how much training you had, no matter how many books you read – you weren't a _true_ leader until you held compassion for lives other than your own. She waited patiently, as he expertly undid the latch on the case – with one hand. She briefly wondered what else he could do with his hands, before composing herself. What was in the case, took her breath away.

There were only three of them, but they bore the signature mark of the Overdrive Rangers: the red and black compass hands were soothing in their familiarity. They were shaped like the Trackers, but didn't have a cover. Instead, they had a trapezoidal screen above a circular keypad. The flywheel was still the same and she supposed its only function was to access their morphing powers. She watched as Weihan gently picked up one of the Trackers, set the case down on one of the vacated chairs and stepped closer to her. His voice held the strongest note of pride and love she had ever heard.

"Veronica Robinson – Ronny – you have defended the Earth and the Corona Aurora against countless foes who wished to seize it and against monsters that only wished to destroy everything. You had your powers used against you, you had to watch the people you love get hurt, you had to endure the hardships and pressures that only a Yellow Ranger could have handled. However, that was not your highest potential."

She wondered what that meant and wondered if he had talked to Andrew recently. Those words had a chilling familiarity to them – but coming from Weihan's mouth, she welcomed them. He pressed the Tracker into her hands, covering them with his own. He stared into her eyes and knew that she was the one for him…now that AJ was off the table. She had strength, beauty and a grace never seen since Kim or even Rachelle. He carefully watched Simon out of the corner of his eye. His reaction to his next words would determine what colour he was given.

"Ronny Robinson, I – Weihan Liang, the Orange Ultra Ranger – am truly honoured and delighted to have you as the Red Ranger."

TBC…


	5. Emotional Flood

Chapter 5 – Emotional Flood

Simon saw red. He didn't care that she had defended the Earth against countless threats. _HE_ was supposed to get the Red Morpher – not her! He was the one with the best test scores, the best track record, the best…well, everything! He had the proper attitude to lead the team and he knew what he could do with that power. The commanding officer with her – Weihan, his name was – obviously didn't see true greatness. He only saw a pretty face. A pretty face, which should belong to him and him alone. That bit about him being the Orange Ultra Ranger was probably also a lie, said only to give the false impression that the Asian had any sort of Power at all. He had to say something. He stepped forward and looked hard into the other man's face. His voice was hard, trembling with barely suppressed anger.

"Sir. You have made a mistake. I am the most qualified of all of us. I clearly deserve the Red Morpher – not some girl you just picked up on the last transport in!"

Both Weihan and Ronny stared in shock at Simon. Weihan had expected there to be an outburst – but not as severe as this. He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead in frustration. He knew that Simon was qualified for the Red Morpher, but his attitude left a lot to be desired. If he were to compare him to someone, he would have said Simon was Jason's son; yet the Red Ranger hadn't really said anything about kids beside that one long forgotten conversation years ago. On the other hand, Ronny was outraged. She had earned that position with blood, sweat and tears – and she certainly wasn't going to let some young boy with a chip on his should employer take it away from her. She turned on Simon with a death glare in her eyes and hissed at him.

"You don't know the first thing about being a good leader. Look at yourself. You have a high-and-mighty attitude but nothing to show for it. You seriously think that we would follow _you_ into battle? If we did –"

Weihan swiftly moved to cover her mouth with his right hand, while restricting her body with his left. Seeing the death glare in her eyes fade out, he removed his hand from her mouth – but kept his arm around her. It was his responsibility to make sure that all three of them functioned as a cohesive unit…no matter what petty differences lay between them. Plus, he had experience with setting up a Power Trio of sorts. He set his face into a hard look at glared at Simon. For his part, Simon managed to look a bit scared. When Weihan spoke, his voice was low and dangerous.

"I don't know what your malfunction is Simon, and frankly I don't care. What I do care about is this team. That includes you. I know your type. You think you should be handed the Red Power because you have the "advantage" of experience on us. Am I right recruit?"

Simon nodded once – curtly. Who did this guy think he was? He was perfect for the Red Ranger position – no matter what any one else thought. Everyone in the past had told him that he could achieve anything that he set his mind to and he wanted to be the Red Ranger. Growling under his breath, he tried to ignore the bad feeling growing in his gut. Speaking out of turn would more than likely give him one of the weaker powers…no, he needed to get the Red Morpher to prove himself worthy of the legacy. Oblivious to Simon's plight, Weihan kept talking.

"Well, that proves you wrong then. I had a great speech I was going to say to you – outlining your achievements, your hopes, your dreams. You just flushed that all away. You wanted to get the Red powers? Tough. I've made my decision and I'm sticking to it. Instead of being Red, you just ended up being Instead of being Red; you just ended up being Yellow."

Simon's face fell, while Ronny's lit up with a beaming smile, which Weihan reciprocated. He inhaled deeply and forced all thoughts of AJ out of his mind. That chapter had closed and was never going to be reopened…no matter how much he longed for it. Ronny wouldn't be his rebound as she deserved much more than that…and he was going to give this relationship everything he had. She turned around and gave him a long, hard hug – not letting go even when he addressed Simon again.

"And this girl you say I got off the last transport? You're right about that. I did get her off the last transport because I knew she was coming. I knew she would be here. I know she has the right skills, attitude and knowledge to be a fine Red Ranger. You, on the other hand, have skills and knowledge. What you are lacking is attitude. So, you get the Yellow TW Tracker. You don't like it; I can show you the door."

Simon knew he had been beaten. He grudgingly took the Tracker from the case, grumbling as he left without being dismissed. He knew that at the next session, he would be in trouble, but he didn't need to hear anything coming from Mr. 'Ultra' Ranger…until Weihan's next comment stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Just so you know, Ronny is my girlfriend now. We Rangers stuck together when we met and we're not breaking up soon"

As soon as Ronny heard that come out of his lips, she smiled. It seemed that he _did_ love her as much as she loved him. It would be interesting to see what Simon did with that new piece of information. As she looked at his retreating form, he seemed to hunch down lower than before and stomp off. She looked to Weihan, hoping that what he said wasn't some form of prehistoric possession. What she saw there however, was an all-encompassing look of love and dedication. So enamoured was she that she didn't even blink as his head came down and his lips touched hers.

The kiss was short, but it managed to convey long-suppressed emotion on both sides. Ronny's arms dropped lower to hold his waist, wile his hands found their way – slowly – to the small of her back. They were so lost in each other that they didn't notice Kat rolling her eyes at them. She picked up the remaining Morpher and began to leave. However, as she turned back, she felt a bit bad for them. They obviously had only just acted on their feelings for each other…and with the coming fight…

But, she owed Weihan. She owed him a _lot_. If it hadn't been for Kim and her critical eye, good memory and knowledge of what Weihan wanted…she'd still be on Earth trying to break out. That, and the fact that the room wasn't soundproofed at all, made her next move that much easier. She cleared her throat, loudly. The unexpected noise made the two lovers jerk apart – surprised. Weihan cocked an eyebrow at Kat, while Ronny smiled and blushed to the roots of her hair. He cleared his throat and sighed.

"Well, Katherine – Kat – Murphy, you have taken the position of second-in-command. That Tracker holds the powers of the Black Ranger. Over time, you will grow into your new powers and they will begin to unlock their secrets. The only Ranger who has ever – fully – unlocked his Power potential is Conner McKnight – the Red Dino Ranger."

Kat's eyes widened, while Ronny looked at him in shock. He knew Conner hadn't lost his Dino Powers at all – he had just hidden them. When any Power Potential was unlocked, it allowed the bearer to keep the Power permanently. Fortunately, his Ultra Crystal's potential had already been unlocked during the first 'final' battle with Xonix, but it had been mostly unlocked before that – on Eltare. He had morphed for the first time and the power was bound to his body. Then, the changes had begun and his face had started twitching at the oddest times. He thought of it as a facial tic, but had asked Zordon if there were any side effects of being directly connected with the Earth-bound Morphin Grid. He remembered the ancient sage's response.

_** Flashback**_

_He stared up at the giant head, wondering if his question would be answered. Zordon seemed to mull over it for some time, before speaking again._

"_WEIHAN, IT IS NOT UNCOMMON TO SEE THE TYPE OF TWITCHES YOU HAVE DESCRIBED. USUALLY, THEY ARE SEEN IN POWER VETERANS. AS YOU HAVE ONLY HELD THE POWER FOR TWO WEEKS, THEY SHOULD NOT BE SO APPARENT."_

_Weihan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He knew that the sage's words were correct…he just didn't have to like them. He suddenly had a thought – in time, would he be able to control the twitches? Or would they be a permanent part of his life forever? Upon the end of that question, the morphological being laughed._

"_YES. YOU WILL BE ABLE TO CONTROL YOUR TWITCHES. YOU ARE A UNIQUE INDIVIDUAL. NO ONE HAS EVER HARNESSED SO MUCH POWER AS YOU IN ONE SHOT. THE POWER IS CHANGING, WEIHAN. IT IS CHANGING IN WAYS EVEN I CANNOT CATCH UP WITH. IN THE FUTURE, KNOWLEDGE – NOT POWER – WILL BE ESSENTIAL IN DEFEATING THE EVILS THAT THREATEN THE PLANET."_

_**End Flashback**_

Knowledge – not power. He always remembered that and that had saved his life on more occasions than he would have cared to admit. Weihan suddenly felt a deep sadness wash over him. Unlike most of Zordon's Rangers – past and present, he had never had a time to properly mourn the sage's passing and the vigil they had done at the ruined Command Centre all those years ago hadn't really been enough closure. He shook himself out of his depression and remembered his place. His Ultra Crystal was supercharging the generators – allowing them to create excesses of energy that would fuel the Zords. He knew that when he removed his crystal, he would not be able to morph into his full armoured suit for a _very, very, very _long time. That was due to the Power Regeneration – literal refuelling of his Ultra Crystal. He sighed once again and spoke.

"I'm not saying this to be dramatic, but _you_ are the Power now. The Morphin Energies have seeped into your body – making you faster, stronger and more resilient than ever before. I will not be joining you on the field. Instead, I will be monitoring your progress from the _only_ permanent base we will have on Hadaes."

He paused, to let his words sink in. Ronny's face was schooled into grim acceptance and determination, while Kat's was still in awe. He was waiting for a subspace transmission from Kim and Tommy very soon – Kat was probably going to comm. them anyway. He collected the now empty case and closed it. He could barely hear the hum of its internal motors as it started its next process and he hoped all of the necessary specifications had been coded in. He smiled at the remaining occupants in the room and made his closing comments.

"This isn't about a crown, or a power source. To Drakor, Spurex and whoever else we will face, this is purely about revenge. That is what makes this battle harder for us. Our enemies are stronger than _any_ in the past. They can – and _will_ attack at any available opportunity. I need you to band together – all three of you."

He saw them wince at the mention of the "three" of them. That meant they would have to track Simon down, and explain to him what being a Ranger was all about. His last words were authoritative and firm.

"I need Power Rangers."

Location: Onyx

The planet of Onyx was designed to look like the Earthling's old West. The only difference was that it was populated with various beings, aliens and bounty hunters. Since the planet had natural Energy shielding, it was the only place in the Universe where Zordon's Wave hadn't touched. At least, that was what the word on the street had been for the past few years. Drakor strode through the throng of beasts, aliens and mutants – until he came across the being he was looking for. His telepathic voice was soft, but it startled the lizard-like alien anyway.

"Dryken. I have come for you."

TBC…


	6. First Morph

Chapter 6 – First Morph

The next five days went by in a blur. After much searching, they had finally managed to find Simon and practically forced him to be the Yellow Ranger. Of course, they didn't have to do much forcing anyway as he was slowly coming to grips with not being Red. He still had to work some problems out but, on the whole, he was becoming better integrated. There was also no word from Earth about the movements of Death Xonix or Jabarkas, though he guessed they were still reeling from the rather violent destruction of Twinlobe and the converted Moon Palace. Weihan's relationship with Ronny skyrocketed literally overnight – they were never seen without the other. Word in the base was that they hadn't slept together yet – that they he was waiting for a good time to "pop her cherry"

Reality couldn't have been farther from the truth. Out of the three active Rangers, Ronny was the one with the most experience – battle-wise. She lead the two recruits through endless drills, combat sims and training programs – hoping to boost their combat abilities. For his part, Weihan was working around the clock to ensure that the Zords were fully completed – weapons were primed and ready and the Megazord sequence was coded properly. When they _did_ have free time together, they were so exhausted from their preparations that they would just slump on the lounge and not move – sometimes for hours at a time. They hugged and kissed each other, but Public Displays of Affection were limited, due to their work hours and zones. Most of it was from the aforementioned exhaustion but a small part of it was a lingering uneasiness on Weihan's part. He had been constantly thinking over seeing AJ at that house with those kids and he wondered if he had jumped to conclusions too fast. He certainly hadn't had the time to go up to her and ask her directly as his words from much earlier still rang in his mind. Well, whatever the case, it was no use hemming and hawing over things that weren't in the present moment.

More worrying was Simon's changing attitude. He had resigned himself to being the bearer of the Yellow Powers, but had started to act out on his own. During the combat simulations, he would always be the one to fight off hordes of solid 3D holo-projections while not at all helping his team-mates. Weihan had taken his aside after each training sim and lectured him about the safety of himself and his team. It was getting harder and harder to come up with new arrangements of words. Simon had shrugged off the harsh criticisms and promised to do better the next time, which he never seemed to do. Weihan had figured that he would wait for Simon to make a mistake, and then leave him to pick up the pieces himself. The problem was that they didn't have too much time left before Drakor attacked, judging by the massive energy surges they had picked up.

Weihan didn't know what Drakor was doing and the thought unnerved him greatly. From the information that he had gathered, he knew that Drakor was an excellent strategist and tactician. He would find one fatal flaw or fear, and fling it in the faces of his enemies. That was one of the reasons that he was so feared in his time, he knew exactly what would cripple his enemies and leave them defenceless against his claws. Spurex was a different story. From what he had gathered from Rangers who had fought against him, he was much like Ecliptor and Villamax, having a strong sense of honour against those he fought against. He didn't know if that was a good thing or not, but he wasn't about to take that chance during battle. If what he had heard through his "contacts", Spurex had actually supervised the construction of Ecliptor and pushed for the machine to feel emotions.

Even more disturbing than Spurex's so-called heart or Simon's selfish behaviour were the oddities of Pie_Masta. The recruit seemed to spend all of her time hanging around the labs – hoping to catch glimpses of the newly minted Rangers in action. Of course, Weihan couldn't fault that – he himself spent a lot of time in the labs as well…watching Ronny of course. But, Pie_Masta kept hanging around the Morpher testing sites. Strangely, she kept writing notes down on a pad and watching the clock…almost as if she was planning for something. Neither Weihan nor Ronny knew what she was planning, but they chalked up her odd behaviour to a side project.

Finally, their luck ran out. The tell-tale shrieking of the alarm awoke Weihan from a restful slumber – the first in a few days. He barely registered the sound, before his attention was drawn to the peaceful form on his chest. Ronny had unexpectedly shown up at his door the previous night – claiming that she wanted to spend time with him. He had, of course, welcomed her presence – it had soothed his inner turmoil. He had of course told her about his Ultra Crystal and its role in powering the generators, Morphers and Zords. She had agreed that using it was better than using the base's own power – it was more reliable and there was less chance of causing a major blackout. In return, she had told him about her half relationship with Tyzonne – including the fact that they had parted on bad terms.

She hoped to never again return to Earth – as Tyzonne would always be there. She had confided to Weihan that Tyzonne was dominating and aggressive in whom she saw or talked to. She had explained that the attraction was only one way – which she hadn't felt anything except friendship towards him. They had never kissed – not even once – or done any of the dating "norms". Weihan had silently promised that – of he ever returned to his home planet – he would make Tyzonne pay dearly for upsetting Ronny. Mercurian or no, he was going down. Ronny had talked him down from cold blooded murder to light bruising with minor bleeding.

He hated to wake her from her slumber – she looked so peaceful. Her light brown hair was fanned out around her head and she had a slight smile on her face. He wondered what she was dreaming about – whatever it was, it had been better than the nightmare he was having. It didn't make sense; Dryken, Mig and Benglo were long dead. Dryken had met his end at the claws of his Battlized Dragonzord and the two Fearcats had died after a long battle with the DriveMax Ultrazord. He marvelled at her ability to sleep through alarms – the siren had been wailing for a good five minutes now and she showed no sign of stirring. Finally, he lightly touched her shoulder with his right arm, causing her to slowly awake from her sleep.

She winced as she heard the ear-splitting shriek – cutting through her post-sleep fog effortlessly. Her dreams had been of herself and Weihan, together on Earth – living happily. She frowned for a split second – trying to remember the very last part of her dream. She had seen two figures that looked like the Fearcats…but that was impossible. She had seen to it herself that they were now nothing more than dust. She couldn't shake that all-too-real fear that they were alive. She was prepared for them now, though. She had new powers and they were more charged up than the Overdrive Yellow powers had ever been. She forced those thoughts to the back of her mind as she abruptly sat up – almost colliding foreheads with Weihan. The previous few days had also been a goldmine for Sha'Kahr hunters as the aliens erected sprawling fortresses…that didn't last too long after a concentrated Gatlinger assault. That had sent Black Market prices skyrocketing.

Hurriedly, they dressed in their Ranger rank uniforms – which were leather jackets in their colour over whatever they were wearing at the time. Since Ronny was wearing one of Weihan's borrowed shirts and boxer shorts, it would certainly cause a stir in the recruits. She hastily threw on a pair of white dress slacks and her jacket and looked at Weihan expectantly. He had slept in his uniform jacket and was smoothing out the wrinkles. He looked at her and smiled, before taking her hand and walking out the door.

When they reached the main room, it was a tornado of shouts, orders and incomprehensible words. On four of the consoles, Weihan could spot the forms of wannabe121, Jekyll, dhillon85 and TOOL yelling orders to their units on the surface. Judging from the way they were drenched in sweat, they were in an intense battle against the Sha'Kahr base or one of the rogue factions. He saw Simon and Kat talking to each other – which was heart-warming. It told him that Simon was finally interacting with his team-mates and reminded him of how Emma defrosted. Then, a scream split the air. He looked around for the source. Strangely, Pie_Masta was pointing up at the main screen with a look of terror on her face. Weihan whirled to face the screen…and felt the blood drain from his face.

On the screen was a bipedal creature that was similar to an upright alligator. It was clad in a strange set of samurai armour and was clutching a long sword in its right claw. Every step the beast took seemed to echo in the now-silent room. Spines protruded from its long and muscular tail, which swung lazily behind it. From what he could se eon the screen, its mottled green and grey colouration was still there and its eyes shone with the barest hints of intelligence greater than a mere animal. Weihan staggered back, leaning heavily against a console, his face pale and drenched in a cold sweat. Ronny went to his side and murmured in his ear.

"It can't be him, Wei. It just can't be. You saw it – he was destroyed before."

"I'm not so sure about that."

Weihan's voice was flat, but filled with dread and fear. He wished that his crystal wasn't powering the generators. His Rangers weren't ready to fight…_him_. Even though Ronny had some experience with the beast, she hadn't experienced its full fury and didn't have a lot of previous experience with berserking monsters. They had to try though. As they watched, several metallic forms shimmered into existence behind the monster. They had the appearance of skeletons – with large skull-shaped helmets with black visors. In their hands, they held large, serrated blades. They were Quantrons – the elitist forces of Astronema and the now-dead Dark Spectre. His face lost all trace of fear – replaced by grim determination. Ronny took one look at her boyfriend's face and nodded once.

She felt Simon and Kat fall into formation behind her. With an unspoken nod of agreement, they thrust their right hand behind their backs, feeling their TW Trackers materialise out of thin air. Grasping her fingers around the metal box, Ronny gave Weihan a small grin and was rewarded by a nod. She held up the Morpher at a 45 degree angle and said one word.

"Ready!"

In a near-replication of her Overdrive morph, she – along with Simon and Kat – swung the tracker to her left shoulder and pressing two buttons along the side as she did so. The words came unbidden – coming up from the information dump that the Power provided.

"TinyWarz – Accelerate!"

She brought up her left arm horizontally; fist stretched outward, the top of her arm acting as a flat surface for the morph. Then, she quickly spun the flywheel against her upper arm, as she moved the Morpher down the length of her arm. In a burst of colour, sparks and light, the three Tinywarz Rangers stood in the centre of the room – armour gleaming brightly. Ronny saw Weihan smile brilliantly at her and flushed as his eyes trailed the length of her body. He knew they were ready to fight, to save lives – to be heroes.

As they teleported off to face the Quantrons, he hoped that they were able to work cohesively. To put aside all attitude problems, negative thoughts and selfish behaviour to fight and win.

He hoped that was enough…

TBC…


	7. Selfish

Chapter 7 – Selfish

Simon couldn't believe the Power rush. It felt like his entire body was alight – strange, exciting and scary all at once. He felt as though he could rip through Flostin's army single-handedly. It almost made up for him being Yellow…a colour that he hated with a passion. He hated the fact that he was overlooked while some chick with a nice ass got promoted over him. Sure, he could kind of see where his arrogance had gotten him – but wasn't arrogance a good leadership trait? All thoughts were banished to the back of his head as his feet touched the ground. Standing in front of them was the same reptilian beast they had seen on the monitors. He touched the right side of his helmet softly – his voice soft.

"So, what's the plan, fearless leader?"

Ronny shot him a glare – visible even from behind her visor. She could not believe that he was so cocky. She had to watch him carefully. She shook herself, feeling the TW Power run through her. Unlike the others, she had had morphing experience before, but nothing had come close to the depth of Power that was flowing through her. She briefly wondered if Mack had felt the same level of Power – since he was also a Red, but then thought about it. Last night, Weihan had told her – exclusively – that their Powers were fuelled by his Ultra Crystal. The same Ultra Crystal that had fuelled four, five if one counted the first set of Elemental Rangers, teams and their Zords. The same Ultra Crystal that could not be permanently drained of its power. The same Ultra Crystal which had generated _its own Morphin Grid_.

The creature in front of her made her thoughts pause. She had seen this horrid beast once – and she swore she had seen it destroyed. But, here it was in front of her eyes and still looking as terrible as it had been back then. It was Dryken. The beast that had forced the Orange Ranger to come out of his self-imposed retirement, the same beast that had allowed her to meet Weihan for the first time. The same monster that had drained their Overdrive Powers, scanned their memories…and learnt their names. She knew that the creature in front of her knew everything about her…well, up to the point where Weihan had seemingly destroyed it. She stood her ground – firmly. She would not allow the monster in front of her to get _any_ advantage. When she spoke, her voice was strong and determined.

"How the hell did _you_ survive? Weihan blasted you into bite-sized chunks!"

The creature laughed – a harsh, guttural sound that chilled the Rangers to the core. He knew what the Yellow-turned-Red had thought she had seen. It was time to reveal one of his secrets…the other one would have to wait for now, well…he would wait for the perfect moment to reveal that one. He spoke in a raspy voice – choppy and slightly distorted, but with a sharp undertone of malice. He was also careful to not reveal the level of intelligence he truly held.

"Foolish Ranger. You think everything in front of you is reality. That what was destroyed before was my real being? The Orange one did not vanquish my true self. He killed a twin…yes. A twin."

Behind her helmet, Kat frowned. What was this creature talking about? Who was he – it – and why did Ronny know about him? Who was the Orange one? She didn't know the answers to the questions, but it seemed as though Ronny or Weihan might. She knew Weihan had said that he was the Orange Ranger, but that might have been an in-faction promoted title that had been given to him. She glanced at Simon and felt a light blush come over her cheeks. When they had been talking, he seemed so animated – so full of love for life…but after they had morphed, he had become a totally different person. She knew that she had a major crush on him, but she also knew that he harboured strong feelings for Ronny as well. She hadn't said anything yet to Weihan – hoping that Simon would get over his infatuation. Instead, it seemed as though his feelings were getting stronger – something Kat couldn't understand. On the other hand, she didn't really do well with the potential suitors that seemed to always be after her either.

Suddenly, without any warning, the Quantrons rushed at them, blades held high. Ronny flipped over to a group of them and started defending herself. She wished that they had personal side arms – like the Drive Defenders, but she knew something better was in the works. She heard yells as Kat and Simon tore into their attackers with a mixture of moves. Her eyes were able to pick out the flaws in their execution, but the way they managed to knock down the Quantrons was impeccable. Aligning herself to the ground, Ronny focused her powers through her right leg and then unleashed a vicious roundhouse. The energy wave tore through their metallic bodies, reducing them to scrap metal. In the blink of an eye, the scrap metal disappeared. Ronny frowned under her helmet. Wasn't the retrieval of fallen remains supposed to happen _after_ they won? As she fought the remaining Quantrons, a disturbing sight caught her eye.

Simon was destroying Quantrons left and right. This in itself wasn't a bad thing, but he was ignoring the cries of Kat as he ripped through their ranks. The petite Black Ranger was slowly being overwhelmed by the mindless foot soldiers. Even with the Power telling her what to do, she was being defeated. Simon didn't even blink as four Quantrons rushed his team-mate, blades at the ready. He didn't react as he heard the piercing scream or the explosion as the Black Ranger explosively demorphed behind him. His gaze was firm, battle ready and hard. He was a whirlwind of energy – and the best part of it was that he didn't have to listen to anyone.

Location: Hadaes Command

Weihan stared at the screen in shock. Simon had disobeyed his rules and orders again – but this time it would have major consequences. He wiped his face with the palm of his hand and screamed in frustration, sending the chief technician – a young Asian man called seanymemory – into minor shock. Quickly, he glanced to the item on the teleportation pedestal. Once it was initiated, the object would be absorbed into the Morphin Grid and sent to the Ranger associated with it. He quickly patched his microphone into Ronny's helmet system. His voice was tired and worn.

"Ronny. You know what to do. I'm sending you something that will help you greatly. Reds deserve swords after all"

He grinned weakly to himself and nodded once to seanymemory. The Asian man pressed a combination of buttons – sending the object to Weihan's girlfriend.

Location: Outside Hadaes Command

Ronny heard Weihan's words and grinned. She was ready for whatever he would give her. She didn't have to wait long. Somewhere between wrenching off a Quantron's arms and punching a chest in, she felt the familiar tingle at the back of her mind. For a split second, an image popped up on her visor's display – permanently imprinting the weapon into her brain. She grinned, but then shot a worried look over to Kat. The Black Ranger was unmorphed and lying face down. Around her lay charred metal parts – Quantrons who were unlucky enough to be caught in the explosive Power backlash. She knew that she had to end this battle _fast_ if Kat was to survive.

She flipped over to Simon and forcibly grabbed the back of his neck – stopping him in his tracks. Then, to the absolute shock and confusion of Dryken, she drug the protesting Yellow Ranger to where their fallen comrade was. Ronny released Simon and shook her head at him. She was pissed at him, but Weihan was first in line to rip into him. She would have to be content with what was left. Closing her eyes, she focused on her right hand and the weapon that Weihan had given her. Feeling it materialise, she drew in a deep breath and shouted out its name.

"War Sword!"

In a crimson flash, the sword appeared in her hand. The blade was about the length of her lower arm, with a red and yellow handle. Embedded on the handle – strangely – was a series of five buttons. She wondered what they were used for – but told herself to find out later. Emblazoned on the sword's guard was the Tinywarz Rangers symbol – Andrew Hartford's Operation Overdrive compass on top of a flaming V. Ronny made a mental note to ask Weihan about why the overdrive symbol kept appearing. It couldn't be a coincidence. As the creatures and Quantrons stood there in shock, she took another moment to closely examine the blade. It was leaf shaped – elegant and graceful – with the width of the blade the size of her wrist. Strangely enough, there was no fuller – only the central ridge that extended outwards from the guard. She could feel the amount of Power coming from the sword – as well as a touch of Fire Power. She grinned and locked eyes with Dryken.

She tightened her grip on the sword – permanently linking it with her Powers. As if in response, the blade glowed a brilliant Red. She took a step towards the assembled villains before breaking out into a dead run. Swinging the blade, she was rewarded with a sharp hiss as the energised blade cleaved five Quantrons in half. Ducking a poor swipe, she stabbed the blade into the ground and tapped the first button she had felt on the grip. The ground rumbled once as four plumes of fire shot up – instantly incinerating the Quantrons. Ronny grinned and chuckled at the sight. Of course Weihan would find a way to include a fire-based attack. She voiced this to Weihan, who laughed out loud – scaring Pie_Masta who was behind him.

"Yeah, you caught me out. Now, finish the job!"

At that command, Ronny pulled the War Sword out of the ground and held it high. She saw that it was not cracked and the blade shone as brilliantly as ever. She brought it down and pressed the final button. The War Sword crackled with red, yellow and orange lightning as it powered up. Dryken gulped, but held his ground. He was freaked out – that was true. When Drakor had told him what he needed to do, he had thought of it as a minor annoyance. Now, he felt otherwise. He was just glad that he had managed to gain the trust of the feline beings that awaited him in Drakor's lair. They would help him no matter what happened…

Ronny smirked. The Power of the War Sword was amazing – but she had to finish up. Kat's life hung in the balance and Evil wasn't playing games any more. Holding the sword, she rotated it around in a clockwise direction – starting from the 10 o'clock position. She was aware of the Overdrive symbol appearing – but without the flaming V. She knew what she had to do. At the blade reached the end of its circle, she slashed down diagonally right. She could see the energy trail gleaming in the sunlight. As soon as her blade hit the ground, she whipped it up again and slashed the air again – this time going diagonally left, thus creating the flaming V. She didn't have time to act, because as soon as the two lines connected, the energy shot out, hitting the Quantrons and Dryken head on.

In an explosion to rival Kat's forceful demorph, the Quantrons were obliterated. Dryken was leaning heavily on his sword and breathing shallowly. He lifted his head to stare menacingly at Ronny. He smiled and nodded once – his weak, but powerful, voice echoing through the strangely silent plain.

"Well done little Ranger. It seems as though you have grown in Power. Your boyfriend must be pleased with you."

He breathed in deeply – almost choking. He would heal soon enough – but it would hurt. He stood up straighter and chuckled again.

"The battle is yours. You have won this first fight. When we next meet, you will not be so lucky."

With those words, the alligator mutant vanished. Ronny sighed and then looked back at Kat's unmoving form. They had won…but at what price?

TBC…


	8. Repercussions

Chapter 8 – Repercussions

Weihan was livid. The Rangers had just returned to the base – carrying Kat's unconscious body between them. They were still morphed, but judging from the way Ronny was glaring at Simon, she was not impressed with his actions. Carefully, Weihan lifted Kat up onto a flat table, affectionately called the "Med-Bed", and shook his head as the diagnostic began. A million and one thoughts were whirling in his head and he didn't know if he could control them. More to the point, he didn't know if he _wanted_ to control them but the Rangers wouldn't get far with only two members. He barely heard Ronny give the signal to power down, barely registered the flash, barely registered Ronny walking over to him and barely registered her holding him. As the first tears started to fall from his eyes, he could only think of one thing – one thought that stood out from all the others.

He had failed.

He had trained them endlessly, he had written every single training simulation program, he had recounted countless battle strategies, he had drawn up the schematics for their Powers, weapons and Zords…but in the end, it wasn't enough. He had never trained them for this. Not even Ronny had this much experience with Rangers who didn't work as a team. There had been Will of course, but his problem had been stamped out before it had hurt a team member. The only experiences he had with rogue team members had been at the start of the Elemental Ranger's run and, earlier, Emma's reluctance. As he stared at Kat, lying on the Med-Bed, a mantra kept running through his head.

_I could have stopped this. I should have stopped this._

As if she knew, Ronny placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently. She remembered telling Tyzonne that even though they were the "good guys", that bad things could still happen to them. That evil could win. Even if the evil was a team-mate gone rogue, evil still won. In her heart, she knew that Drakor had won the first battle, even though he told them they won. He had flung Weihan's greatest fears back into his face – the fear of Dryken, the fear of losing a team-mate and the fear of failure. Once, she had asked Weihan to tell her of the most horrific experience he had ever witnessed. She never forgot what he told her.

**Flashback**

"_What I saw was not meant to be seen by eyes like mine. I had been flung into the future – far into the future. Into a future where Evil ruled the universe. This was before I had sought out for the rest of the Ultra Rangers."_

_He paused, swallowing hard. He quietly willed up memories – memories that he had buried deep down inside him. Memories of a dimension where he had failed. Even though AJ was in that 'grey area' in his mind, he wouldn't reveal the most closely guarded secret he had promised to keep silent. He looked at the sympathetic face of Ronny next to him and sighed. His eyes glazed over slightly, as if he was looking at an event in the past. His voice was thick with emotions – mostly of sorrow and regret._

"_Evil has seeped into every core aspect of the Universe. There were almost no pockets of resistance left. The Power Rangers had been destroyed. My search for a positron generator led me to Earth…or what was left of it. The forces of Evil had scoured the land…creating a floating brothel. Females of all species, races and ages were there – from children to old and weak. All of them were slaves to the Evil Empire. I spoke to a few of them and they told me that they believed that the Orange Knight would one day come back from his exile and release them from their suffering."_

_He took in a shuddering breath, tears falling from his eyes. He made no moves to wipe them away – bearing them with an emotion akin to pride. Ronny felt tears welling up in her eyes as well. Before the Ultra Rangers had existed? He was 13 then…just a small boy exposed to horrors like these…_

"_After I had constructed my time hole generator, I felt as though I had to do something. Even though I was returning to my own time, I couldn't let them live like this any more. I wasn't sure if they would continue to exist – but I couldn't take the chance. So…in front of the "believers", I morphed. Something to give them hope, I guess. Then, the wailing started."_

_Weihan was crying freely now, tears tracing new paths down his face. There had been several emotional breakdown moments in the past when he thought about the events, but they had all been in private and when he was alone. His shoulders were heaving with sobs. He could still hear the voices…all of them. Asking him to do one thing and one thing only. He slowly composed himself and spoke again. His voice was so soft; Ronny had to strain to hear it._

"_They asked me to kill them. To destroy what was left of their lives. To destroy what was left of Earth. And I did that. I took up my Sabre and I killed them. All of them. They didn't run or hide – they welcomed death. It took me seventeen hours to travel the Earth and kill everyone. Seventeen long hours filled with bloodshed, pain and death. Finally, there was one person left. She looked at me and took off my helmet. She looked at my eyes – as red and raw as they were – and said something that I'll never forget. She told me that I had honoured their wishes. That I had shown extreme courage in taking up the task. That my tears were signs of emotion, bravery and honesty."_

_Ronny stifled a sob. She had never thought that Weihan would be able to mercy-kill an entire planet. She wondered if she had been too quick to judge him. He wasn't done yet. He continued in the quiet, strained voice._

"_She told me to remember that day – not as a time of sorrow, but as a time of strength. When I had done a task that no one should ever have had to do. She told me to celebrate life, but to remember that darkness could still come in at any moment. Then, she took my Sabre and killed herself. She had the most peaceful look on her face as she did so, as though she could see something wonderful. Her last words to me were this – 'Strength comes from both within and without'. And then she was gone."_

_**End Flashback**_

She knew that that experience had shaken him to the core. She knew that everything he did, he was driven by the images he had seen in the apocalyptic future. She saw him squeeze his eyes shut, trying to push back the tears she knew were beneath the surface. When he opened them, his eyes were wet, but he had a deathly look in them. Ronny kissed his cheek softly and nodded once. Weihan crossed the room and carried a chair over for her. They exchanged looks filled with concern and love, before Weihan abruptly turned, glaring at Simon fiercely. He could feel his palms growing heated and he fought to conceal the flames that threatened to burst forth. He still hadn't forgotten the last time he had lost control…and he doubted the canteen would ever be the same again.

Simon knew he was in trouble. He knew he didn't help a team member, an action that could cause her death. He glanced over to the list of injuries she had sustained – broken ribs, arm broken in five places, hairline skull, neck and back fractures. Multiple lacerations to her torso, internal bruising, severe internal bleeding…the list was almost endless. But they were _Power Rangers_, for God's sake! They were supposed to be able to beat the overwhelming odds alone – no matter what it took! That's what it meant to be a Power Ranger, right? To fight on and know that your team could handle themselves without you? Anyway, the girl was a weak link. To be rid of her would be a good thing, right? He deserved to be the Black Ranger now and not the sissy Yellow that he was. He was so absorbed in his thinking that he was startled when Weihan grabbed him by the back of his neck and _threw_ him into the so-called "interrogation room": a soundproofed room with one chair and a long metal table. He collided with the wall, missing the table's razor sharp corner by a hair, and steadied himself. He watched as Weihan slammed the door and locked it. After regaining some sense of bearings, he spoke. His voice was firm, uptight and obnoxious.

"What's the big idea? OK – I screwed up, but she knew the risks! She's a weak link any –"

His protests were cut off as Weihan's fist collided with his nose. He heard the sharp crack as the cartilage gave way, felt the piercing pain and felt blood gush from the wound. He gasped out as his enraged Commander lashed out with a kick to his stomach, doubling him over and forcing the air out of his lungs. Tears of pain leapt into his eyes as Weihan delivered the final blow – an uppercut that sent him sprawling onto his ass. When he spoke to the downed Ranger, Weihan's voice was low and deadly.

"Ranger recruit Simon Carville, you have fucked up badly. Do you know why?"

Simon blinked back tears. He knew that it wasn't his fault – that he was the best fighter out of all of them. He _deserved_ the position as Red Ranger – or even Black Ranger! He shook his head in a "no" gesture, causing Weihan to lean down.

"You have fucked up because you did not look after your team-mate. You deliberately a ploughed through the enemy lines, not noticing that a valued team mate was being overwhelmed. From the looks of it, you didn't _care_ that she was overwhelmed. Not caring or showing concern for a team-mate is the worst mistake a Ranger can make. Do you have anything to say in your defence?"

Simon glared up at him. He knew he was in the right – it was Weihan who didn't see his greatness. He was no weak link. He was as strong as the Orange Ranger – whoever he was. In fact, the Orange Ranger was supposed to be the head of the Ranger Project, not this Asian loser. He knew his father had told him never to judge a book by its cover, but the fact was the person in front of him clearly wasn't in charge of anything besides his arrogance. He gritted his teeth, spat out a wad of bloody saliva and spoke up in a pain tinged voice.

"Yeah, I do have something to say. She was a weak link. She couldn't fight, she couldn't call for help – she was the wrong person for that position. I wouldn't have been overwhelmed – I would have been crushing them. I should be the Red Ranger. I'm no weak link. I make mistakes, but the worst mistake _you, sir_, have made is to not make me the Red Ran –"

Weihan removed his left foot from Simon's ribs and looked down at the crumpled boy. He knew that Simon was still sore about not being Red, but he thought that he was over it. He stopped, there was more at stake here than Simon's problem. The words "weak link" jumped out at him, making his eyes narrow in disgust. Simon thought that he _wasn't_ a weak link? All pretence of forced calm evaporated as soon as he opened his mouth. He was so glad the room was sound-proofed but wasn't so sure if it was fire-proofed. The last thing he wanted was to burn the Command Base down. For one thing, it would mean a damn lot of paperwork.

"You think you're _not_ a weak link? I beg your pardon, but you, _sir, _are the weakest link that I have ever had the displeasure of working with! You're brash, you're arrogant and you can't even follow a simple order for crying out loud! Your team-mate is lying on the Med-Bed, critically injured! You could have stopped your one man wrecking spree to help her! Tell me, why should I keep you on the team?"

Weihan dropped his voice to a low hiss. He had enough problems already – and if Simon wanted to add to them, he would stop his attitude in his tracks.

"You don't deserve to be _any_ Ranger."

Simon stopped cold at that statement. He struggled to raise himself on his feet, glaring at the Commander all the way. He didn't have the authority to make that decision. From what he had read from the documents pertaining to the Ranger program, only the Orange Ranger – whoever he was – could authorise the firing of Rangers from the program. It just proved his point that this boy didn't see true talent and greatness and was working off his own agenda. When he went to the Supreme Commander with this, he would get his spot as Red, get the girl and finally get a chance to be mentored by the real Orange Ranger. He wasn't the weak link. He was the strongest link – if anything. He growled deep in his throat, before speaking in a voice that belied his anger and embarrassment.

"I. Am. Not. A. Weak. Link. Why am I a weak link? I have done _nothing_ to be a weak link. I have supported the team by my superior fighting skills. You can't force me off the team – only the Orange Ranger can do that. You are not the Orange Ranger. Sure, my attitude is high, but I've never had any complaints about it before. Suck it up, _Commander_, you can't do anything about me."

Weihan sighed. He didn't want it to come down to this, but he had no other choice. He reached down inside him, searching for the link to his innate powers: his Ninjetti Power, which was one of the only Powers that could withstand the continuous drain on his Crystal. He barely registered the muted flash as he was instantly clad in his Orange Ninjetti suit – the cashmere-like material brushing lightly against his skin, the Crocodile in his Power Coin glaring balefully at Simon and the other representations of his Power Animals staring at the fallen Ranger. He observed the look of absolute shock on the Ranger's face, before slowly taking off his hood and mouth guard. He looked at Simon and gestured to himself.

"I can do something about you since I am the Orange Ranger. The way I see it, you have one of two choices. Choice number one is this. You stop having this superior attitude. It's getting you nowhere fast. Rangers help each other, not just themselves. We lean on each other and one day you're going to have to lean on your team for help. You can't save the world or the universe by yourself."

Simon wanted to tell him to shove it, Ranger or not. It suddenly dawned on him why Weihan was so good at commanding Mekas; he had plenty of practice in those Zords he had seen on the news. Then again, he had heard that for the early days of his career, the Orange Ranger had worked on his own. From what he recalled, it was only after the Orange Ranger had appeared covered in blood that he had formed his team. Of course, he was aware that bit of information wasn't exactly public knowledge. A few news sources had reported on it when it had happened, but no one had dared to ask the Orange Ranger what the source of the blood was. He threw this back in Weihan's face – hoping that he would acknowledge him to be the right man for the colour Red. Instead, Weihan nodded once and sat down on the table, avoiding the corners.

"Yes, it's true. I flew solo in the first few weeks. In a way, I was much like you. I was arrogant and thought that just because I had these Powers, I could do whatever I liked. It took me going into a nightmare future that changed my way of thinking."

Weihan's eyes glazed over slightly. He didn't want to relive what he had seen again, but he knew that it would be the best. It would teach Simon that he had to learn from other's mistakes – to avoid repeating them himself. He spoke in a low voice.

"It was in the Spring of 1998 that I was catapulted to this future. I don't know what caused it, but I found myself facing something I had never faced till that point: failure."

Slowly, he recited all he had seen in that glimpse of the future, the way the buildings crumbled, the way Evil had swept through the Universe…even the way he had found out that the Power Rangers were forever destroyed. He told of his horror at seeing the slum Earth had become, his curiosity of who the Orange Knight was and the grim determination that had possessed him to kill the abused women. The only thing he didn't tell him was his great, great…whatever grand-daughter being the last one left alive. After an hour of talking, Weihan's voice was raw with emotion and he bore the tears proudly again. He spoke of his dread at seeing the hovels the women lived in. He spoke of the admiration they felt for him in ending their pain. He railed over the injustice of that future – how the women were treated like animals and the men were experimented on. At the end, he looked at Simon – noting the pale look on the young man's face. Weihan opened his mouth and spoke in a low tone.

"I knew then and there that, for all my Power and ability, I could not save the Universe by myself. The stories that I heard told of how I had gone into a fruitless battle that I could have won if I had a team. It forced into me the knowledge that, yes, we are_ Power Rangers_, but we can't do everything on our own."

Weihan slowly slid off the table, demorphing back into his Ranger Commander uniform. He had put that memory behind him and learnt from it long ago. He knew that the next time Dryken showed his snout on the battlefield, he would be there with his Rangers in spirit. Simon looked at him with new eyes. He was worthy of being Ranger Commander – he was sure of that now. He forced his aggressive attitude deep within him and locked eyes with the Orange Ranger. When he spoke, his voice held a note of respect that hadn't been there before.

"Sir. I am deeply sorry for questioning you. I am ready to resume my duties as the Yellow Ranger. From this…talk, I have learnt that one of the best things for a Ranger to be is selfless – putting the lives of others above his or her own. I know that what I did was selfish and cruel. I realise that you were right when you called me the weakest link. If a team is only as strong as its weakest link, I will rectify that situation – starting now."

Weihan nodded once. From the look in the young man's eyes, he could see that he had changed immensely. There was honour, courage and deep loyalty in the twin green orbs, things that had been absent before. Weihan was sure that he was making the most of his second chance but had one more question to ask Simon.

"What about Katherine? Do you think she is worthy to be the second in command? And Ronny? Do you think she is fit to lead the Rangers into combat?"

Simon didn't even hesitate one beat. His voice shone with confidence in his team-mates.

"Katherine is worthy to be second in command. She knows that she can lean on people for support. Ronny…she is way out of my league, but she is a fine commander. She is a good match for you, sir. She will make a truly inspiring leader."

Weihan smiled – finally knowing that Simon was the best person for the Yellow Ranger position. He held out his hand and the two shook firmly. Weihan stepped over to the door and unlocked it. He opened the door and was treated to a remarkable sight.

Kat was upright – fully healed.

TBC…


	9. Reflections Of Evil

Chapter 9 – Reflections of Evil

Spurex looked over the heap of metal scraps again. He sighed and ran a scaly claw down his face. Fighting, he could do. Tactics was no problem at all. Designing and manufacturing? Well, it wasn't as though he had problems with it…the things he created just seemed to fall apart on their own. He sighed and rubbed his face again. He had seen the new Rangers on the viewscreen and had seen their tactics. The only weak link that they could possibly exploit was the Yellow Ranger and his lack of teamwork – but only if they had attacked straight after Dryken had returned. That way, the Yellow Ranger would be targeted and then the Red Ranger…and since the Black Ranger had been overwhelmed at the start…

He shook his head and cracked all four sets of knuckles. Thinking about strategy was one thing, trying to create something from this pile of scrap metal was another. He picked up a partially melted arm and sighed. He puzzled over the pile again, before hearing the steps of Drakor. His master walked over to him and placed a clawed hand on Spurex's shoulder. He looked onto the pile and chuckled.

"What have you done with this so far?"

Spurex shook his head in resignation. He answered back, his voice low with shame.

"My Lord, I regretfully inform you that I am unable to do anything with this…except maybe make patchwork soldiers."

Drakor closed his eyes, but stopped. He thought it over. If the patchwork soldiers were destroyed, they could easily create more. He grinned as much as he was able to and slapped Spurex on the back, laughing heartily.

"Spurex – you may just be onto something…but now is not the time or place to discuss it. Let us discuss the next phase of our plan. This involves a pair of cyborgs _very_ familiar to the Red Ranger…"

Location: Hadaes Command

_OK…that was not the reaction I would have pegged him as having._

Weihan stared down at Simon's unconscious body. The Yellow Ranger had taken one look at Kat and promptly passed out. Ronny looked over at Simon curiously, seeing various lumps, bruises and cuts that had not been there before. She giggled under her breath – half in amusement, half in mortification. She knew that Weihan had a mild tendency to go overboard, but this took the cake. She looked at Weihan and cocked an eyebrow at him. He caught her eye and looked sheepish. He knew he _might_ have gone just a tad overboard on the beating, but it had been worth it. Nudging Simon lightly with his foot, he sighed and addressed the congregation.

"All right. This is how I see it. Drakor has upped the ante, bringing back a key player which I thought was dead. I don't know who else he has but, for now, we need to keep going. I want drops onto Konu for ore gathering, Riona and Taris for training and drops outside for recon. Stay off Hellion for the time being. I want _all_ personnel on the Ranger project to start work on the Silver Morpher."

He paused, looking at Pie_Masta out of the corner of his eye. The recruit's face seemed to…light up, as if she was waiting to hear that information. Weihan sighed and closed his eyes. Sure, he had given her a mild heart attack during the battle, but there was no reason why she should…

He stopped with that line of thought. If there was one thing he didn't need right now, it was a rogue in the house. He ground his teeth together, wishing that the Power had corrected his overbite, before speaking once again.

"I want a full rotation of staff every six hours. Full security on the Morpher at all times. We don't need some yahoo with a power trip stealing from us."

The last part of the statement was directed at Pie…and she knew it. He saw her eyes narrow in something akin to anger before she spun on her heel and left. Ronny followed Weihan's gaze and sighed. She could sense that Pie would be a problem in the future, but she didn't know what she could do about it. Weihan was always the one who had solutions for everything – every problem, every monster, every battle. He was the undisputed king of tactics and battle strategy with the 'Greatest Ranger Ever', Tommy Oliver, a close second. She knew that the reappearance of Dryken had shaken him to the core and she was determined to help him cope…any way she could. As the various members dispersed, Ronny walked over to Weihan and looked at Simon.

Slowly, she bent over and grabbed Simon under the arms. She could feel Weihan's eyes trained on her ass, which she wiggled experimentally. She heard him swallow audibly and smiled. As she lifted the Yellow Ranger up, he started to stir in her arms. Weihan stopped in his lustful gazing and switched to a more controlled gaze – his eyes locking on Simon. Ronny stopped mid-lift and smirked.

Then, she let go.

Location: Drakor's Cavern

Dryken was pissed off. He had not expected that there would be ANY form of powered resistance. Drakor had informed him that there had been slight fluctuations in the Morphin Grid, but they had been small tremors. In hindsight, Dryken knew that whenever Ranger Powers were created that they left a tremor in the Grid. He knew this only due to the intense studies he had undertaken as a Power Ranger…or at least as a cloned Ranger. He looked down at his reptilian body and frowned. He had once been the clone of the then White Ranger, Thomas Oliver. After he had stayed in the past, he had worked a good life for himself…before being run out of town on suspicions that he was a mage.

The suspicions _had_ been right. He had a small amount of magical talent in him, unlocked by the Wizard of Deception's cloning. He had just been careless in demonstrating it around the locals. It had not been long before he had found the Command Centre and, seeing as how he held a "working" Power Coin, had begged Zordon to send him off Earth. He had wandered the stars for countless years, acquiring various magical talents…until that fateful day when he had crossed paths with Lord Zedd. Of course, he was wearing a mask that he had acquired through his travels – a mask with the face of an alligator on it.

_**Flashback**_

_Thomas stared at Zedd through the eye holes in his mask. The skinless demon was exactly how he remembered him. Red muscles under a silver exoskeleton, claw tipped fingers grasping his deadly staff. He was the Emperor of all Evil – second only to Dark Spectre. But Thomas knew what the Lord was capable of. He had to know, really. The Dark Lord spoke again, his gravely voice dripping with sarcasm._

"_And who are you, lowly human? I have never ever seen a creature like you amongst the stars. And a human with such magical potential…I must admit…you are an interesting being…"_

_Thomas suppressed a shudder. One of the things that Rita had told him of was Zedd's homosexual tendencies. Something about being cooped up with males for long periods of time. Thomas hadn't asked for more details, but she had provided them anyway…in frightening detail. It was almost funny – the most feared dictator this side of the galaxy was gay. Well, unless said dictator was standing right in front of you in all his menacing glory. Thomas was determined not to let Zedd see his real face – the effects to the timeline could be potentially devastating. Thomas squared his shoulders he snarled back._

"_Don't get any ideas you intergalactic pervert. I can easily beat you in a one on one fight. Don't get any ideas."_

_In reality, Thomas knew that he couldn't beat Zedd. As talented as he was with energy bolts, fire whirls and swordplay, he couldn't beat Zedd. He could try, but it would all be for naught. Zedd seemed to know it as well, but chuckled before raising his staff._

"_You have spirit. I will make you serve me until the end of your pathetic existence!"_

_**End Flashback**_

And that was the last thing he remembered for a very long time. Somehow, during the painful mutation process, his full magical potential had been unlocked – leaving him with a near-infinite lifespan. The alligator mask had also fused onto his face, twisting and warping the flesh underneath. He had become an alligator/human hybrid…a bloodthirsty Warrior Mage in Lord Zedd's service. The only good thing was that he never had to return to Earth – even when Lord Zedd returned to "relieve" Rita. Well, he wouldn't have cared anyway as his memory had been totally blocked off. When he had finally come to his senses, it had been fifty years since his last memory…and the way he had found out what had happened was a shock – let alone _what_ it was.

_**Flashback**_

_The last thing he remembered was Zedd raising his staff – then it was waking up in some forest with blood all over him. He groaned an looked down at his chest. He noticed that he was still wearing the armour he had gotten off Mirinoi…but it seemed off somehow. Like it didn't fit the body underneath it. That was odd. If Zedd had only slashed him once, his body shouldn't have changed. He slowly stood up and winced as pain shot through his body. He had to leave this place – wherever it was…_

_He suddenly blinked and looked around him. He was in some wooded area, not the rocky plain he had last been in. also, some time seemed to have passed, he suddenly shot upright, panicking. If he was anywhere near Earth, then his presence could very well destroy the timeline! He paused and crouched down, noticing for the first time, the unnatural weight at the base of his spine. He gave it no thought, but listened to the voices coming up the path. One of them in particular seemed very familiar._

"_Why do you have to leave now? I don't understand."_

"_It…it's complicated Ronny. I…I just need to leave and prepare. Besides, from what I've seen – you guys are a good team. Having me there would take the spotlight away from you."_

_His eyes narrowed as two figures walked close to where he was. One was a slender young woman with shoulder-length brown hair. She was clad in a light yellow top with white shorts. On the back of her belt was an odd-looking device that seemed to be rectangular in shape. She seemed to be conversing with a tall, Asian boy in an orange shirt, black jacket and dark blue pants. On his left wrist was an orange-banded watch. Thomas gaped at the sight of it. It was a communicator…but where had he seen it before? He ducked down in time as the woman – Ronny? – spoke again._

"_I don't understand. You come out of retirement to help us against Dryken and the Fearcats. Even with Tyzonne on our side, we need all the help we can get."_

_He watched as the man's shoulders slumped down – as if he was sad about something. Thomas himself didn't know what happened…but the man in orange was oddly familiar…_

"_Look, Ronny. Tyzonne is a great addition to your team. He's a good man to be with you…your team. There are things that I need to do. Things that need to be prepared and constructed. I'm sorry, but I can't stay."_

_Thomas grinned. He had caught his slip of the tongue. It revealed to him that the man in Orange loved Ronny deeply…but didn't want to get caught in the middle of anything. It was a noble trait and it showed great honour – to know when to step aside and let others take the lead. He strained his ears to listen to what Ronny had to say._

"_I…understand what you're trying to do. I've known you for a few hours, but I can't deny my feelings for you. Yes, you're a good team mate and a friend, but I want more for us. I love you so much."_

_Thomas felt sick. He knew he shouldn't be intruding on their private moment, but he found himself rooted to the spot. He almost had a memory of the orange clad teen…a memory and a name…Wayne? Wade? He saw his face light up at the proclamation, then saw a deep sadness come over his face. He saw indecisiveness in his eyes as well as pain. It was extremely clear that the person in orange was having an internal struggle with himself. Finally, the boy reached up and cupped Ronny's chin gently, lifting her face up to meet his. His voice was soft, tender and full of love and passion._

"_Ronny, I _do_ love you, but now isn't the time. You still have three jewels to find and I have to prepare for the upcoming battle. No matter how hard we tried, we can't make it work. Not now anyway. In the future…in the future, yes, we may find each other again and make it work out…but now? We can't. I'm sorry Veronica…Ronny. I just can't."_

_Thomas saw Ronny's shoulders drop slightly, saw the sadness in her eyes. He wanted to run over and comfort her, but he couldn't. he sighed softly and looked down at himself…and then bit back a yelp of fear and surprise. The wound that had stretched over his armour was completely healed. There was basically no trace of it anywhere…plus, the armour had healed over as well. He had a sneaking suspicion that Zedd had mutated him – which he could live with…if he found out what he had become. He hoped that it wasn't a giant rat or something. So engrossed with his self examination was he, he almost missed Ronny's reply._

"_I know. We always have the future. I just wanted you to know how I felt about you. You may never come back…we may never see each other again. Weihan, kiss me and tell me that it'll be all right."_

_Weihan. Weihan Liang…yes, that was it. That was his name. He had met and fought against the Orange Ranger when he had been evil. The Ranger had packed a punch, but he seemed different now. Older and more mature. Battle hardened…but that was impossible…he had only held his powers for a short time…hadn't he? Thomas shook his head and watched Weihan. He watched him shake his head slowly and whisper something in her ear before kissing her on the cheek. Ronny stepped forward in confusion, but Weihan sighed and shook his head. He spoke again, lowering his voice._

"_I can tell you this much. We will meet again – after your journey is over. You are a good warrior and I will see you again."_

_Ronny's voice was choked with tears. It was clear that she didn't want him to leave, but it seemed like there was no other choice for him._

"_I'll always keep wishing for you, Wei. I love you…I'll never forget you."_

_Weihan sighed and nodded once, a sad smile on his face. Thomas slowly edged backwards, running away from them as soon as he knew he was out of earshot. As he ran, he could hear his last statement._

"_I'll never forget you either…"_

_Thomas didn't know what the hell was going on. He was stuck in a strange body, he had self healing capabilities and he had just witnessed the breaking up of two lovers. No, not lovers – soul mates. But they had broken up why? Over duty? He vowed to find out where he was, what he was and how long he had been out._

_**End Flashback**_

His search had cost him a lot. He had befriended the Fearcats and supplied them with illegal technology – cloning technology. With his help and magic, the two cyborgs had cloned themselves…then left with him. Rumour had it that the clones had even begun to develop their own personalities, thoughts and ideas. Too bad they had been destroyed by an Ultrazord.

He sighed again, looking at his reptilian face. Thomas Oliver was dead.

Dryken was here to stay.

TBC…


	10. Out Of the Frying Pan

Chapter 10 – Out Of The Frying Pan…

Simon groaned in protest. He was over his shock at seeing Kat fully healed, but he didn't deserve to be dropped on his head. He had a lot to think about – including he own faults. He picked himself up off the ground and looked around. Ronny and Weihan were standing over him with barely suppressed mirth on their faces, while Kat was looking at them with a mixture of disdain and shock. He guessed that made up for the numerous bruises all over his body. Abruptly, he was pulled up by Weihan, who searched his face with a piercing glare.

"Cadet Carville, you are dismissed. Get yourself healed up and think about what we discussed. I expect you to have changed your attitude next time."

Simon nodded once and then strode out the door. He would fix his wounds later, but he had some serious thinking to do. All his life, he had strived for greatness. His father had expected the very best for him – and he had done the old man proud. He fought hard, brushing off anyone who got in his way. He knew he was the best…but now he had met his match. He was under the command of one of the Greatest Power Rangers of all time – and he had reacted badly. He had wanted total supremacy of the Ranger project – to be the Red Ranger. To achieve the position his father had been – the Original Red Ranger. He didn't think Weihan knew who his dad was – he had kept his paternity a closely guarded secret from all prying eyes. To the outside world, he was the son of two middle-class managers – trying to do his best. In reality, he was the son of Jason Scott – one of the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. His father had told him his secret as soon as he was old enough to understand his legacy. He had to do the best he could be – to be Red.

Red – the prestigious colour his father had been given. Simon had looked at all the articles in the library at his house. With the spirit of the might Tyrannosaurus Rex, there was no challenge that couldn't be taken down easily. He had enrolled into the TinyWarz Battle Program for one reason and one reason only – to be the Best he could be – to be one definition of the Red Ranger. But now, after hearing what Weihan had been through, he started faltering in his quest. True, he had pretty much failed in adhering to the Ranger Spirit in the first battle, but that was due to a few growing pains. What he needed now was advice from the one person he could trust – his father. He turned into his small room, the door sliding shut behind him quietly. On the walls were posters signifying the greatness of the colour Red…the Zords, the Weapons – all of it.

He moved to the small "study" and sat down heavily on the bench. He shook his head, running a hand through his hair and sighed. He had let himself down as a person – let alone a Ranger. He needed advice – to Hell with what he looked like. His eyes turned to the communication screen above the grey desktop. Nodding to himself, his hands skimmed over the keyboard – translating into words, symbols and icons on the screen.

It was done. All he had to do was wait for a reply.

Weihan watched Simon's retreating figure and let out a soft sigh. He knew he had been a bit too harsh – but he had to be. He had to drill in the core principles of being a Ranger into his head – or they'd be done for. He turned and met the soft brown eyes of Ronny. He knew what she was thinking and he allowed a wry grin to creep onto his face, before speaking. His tone was friendly, but his words conveyed the seriousness of the situation.

"It was bad, but I have to knock some sense into him – or all of us could be dead next time. Not just from Drakor's attacks – but from the rogue Bandits as well. You need to work as a team to successfully defeat the problems – be it a rogue squadron of Mekas or a random monster battle."

She knew he was right. Due to ¼ of the TW combat group's involvement, planetary patrols were becoming less infrequent – and less planned. Hundreds of thousands of credits worth of units had been destroyed by Bandits and Sha'Kahr alike. Even more disturbing was that Bandit dropships had been seen touching down on Hadaes – some as close as within 60km of the base. Fortunately, they were only light scouts and intermediate bases, but it wouldn't be long before the real dangers came. Ronny was worried. Apart from herself and Weihan, they had no one who could successfully pilot a Zord or Meka into battle. She wasn't sure if the various TW members would willingly defend them – seeing as they were the centre of the Bandit invasion. As she mentioned this to Weihan, she saw him nod in understanding. His voice was strong and held an undercurrent of determination.

"I am well aware of the situation, but I have a solution. When Simon comes back, you three will be going on a small scouting mission – inside vehicles similar to what your Zords will be."

Kat smiled. She was feeling much better after being healed – and was seriously looking forward to the scouting mission. From searching the main database, she knew that one of the Zords would be modelled after a Katana Meka – but given more long-range weaponry. The other Zords would be modelled after various Mekas and tanks – but there was one folder that had caught her eye. It was labelled "Primal Zords". She didn't know what those were, but she wanted to know more. She coughed once, then slid off the tabletop – she could see that Weihan and Ronny needed some time together. Besides, she needed to call Tommy and Kim to tell them the news. Suddenly, she stopped, her brow creasing.

"Hey Commander, where's Pie?"

Weihan blinked and swallowed hard. He hadn't seen hide or hair of the blonde cadet since the debriefing – but he had a good inkling of where she had gone to. The experimental Silver Morpher was almost complete anyway – he just needed someone for it to bond to. The Zord and weapons had been fully integrated into its internal subspace storage – it was ready for use. The thought of that much power in the hands of a loose cannon was…well, he couldn't find words to describe how bad that thought was. It was a good thing only three people knew of its existence – himself, Ronny and Frizz. He had also started carrying the Silver Morpher in his pocket. A moving object almost nearly threw the pursuer off balance. He blinked, realising he still needed to give an answer. He cleared his throat and sighed.

"As far as Pie is concerned, she's a minor threat. She's shown an unnatural fascination with the whole Ranger Project from Day One. She is not to be approached at any cost. Now, why don't we get a head start on seeing your vehicles?"

Ronny stared wide eyed, while Kat smiled. Trust Weihan to know what would make her happy – well, moreso than seeing him. Weihan gently took Ronny's hand and led her out the door – Kat trailing behind. Something about the whole Pie scenario still seemed off to her – like they weren't getting the full story. She shrugged off that thought and walked faster – to keep up with Weihan and Ronny.

As the trio left the Command Area, they failed to notice a shadow hiding behind a console.

Or that the shadow followed them.

The comm. Screen crackled once, then flared to life. Simon leant forward as the fuzzy image slowly condensed itself into the form of his father. The man still had closely cropped black hair, hard eyes and a squared jaw. When he spoke, it seemed like God himself was speaking to him.

"Son, this had better be good."

Simon swallowed, then started telling his father what had happened so far. His surprise at being selected for the Ranger program, dismay at his team mates, anger at being Yellow and the disastrous first mission. When it was over, he sighed heavily at his father.

"Dad, I've tried to be like you so hard. Every single time I do that, I get knocked down. I don't understand – why am I like this?"

On the other side of the connection, Jason Scott rolled his eyes. He knew that Simon looked up to him immensely – more than any son should. He paused for a minute to let the information seep to his brain. Simon had been chosen for an elite group of Power Rangers – dedicated to protecting the TW Battle Group from the Sha'Kahr Overlord Drakor. He had been overlooked to be the Red Ranger, due to his arrogance and temper. Somewhere along the way, there had been a battle with a villain allied with Drakor and a group of Quantrons – where Simon had fucked up, letting a team mate be gravely injured. And to top his madcap adventures so far, he was being led by Weihan Liang – the Greatest Ranger Ever...after Tommy of course. He sighed, then opened his mouth to speak – his voice tired and thin.

"Son. I'm not going to lie to you. What you did was something no ranger should ever do – you abandoned a team member in need. This is completely inexcusable. As a Ranger, your thoughts should be on your team mates at all times – whether or not they can handle themselves."

Simon swallowed hard. He wasn't used to criticism this harsh coming from his father – even if the words had a ring of truth around them. His anger lessened, while his guilt and resolve grew. He knew his father was right – being the First Ranger had taught him a lot of hard lessons. His stories had been chock full of morals on how to live life and make the most of things – but how was he supposed to make the most of this situation? The Commander clearly didn't like him and seemed to favour the girls more. His frustration was evident in his voice.

"Dad, it's not about the team – it's the Commander. He showers the girls with praise – while he pushes me past my limits. If I was Red, I would –"

Jason hit the screen, breaking his son's rambling off. He knew Weihan was forcing his son to grow, but he didn't know if Simon knew it. Weihan had always been more decisive than both himself and Tommy combined – whether it was Zord battles or what to eat. That wasn't to say that Jason wasn't concerned with Weihan's behaviour. With a new threat and a new girlfriend, his friend seemed to be pushing everyone around him to the limits. Unfortunately, that was normal for him, so that wasn't the real issue here. He sighed – realising what the real problem was.

"Son, you are the best in all you do. You've achieved the highest honour anyone could achieve – to be a Power Ranger under the command of one of the Greatest Rangers ever. So you're not a Red. The colour doesn't matter. What does matter is the way you deal with this. There are evils in the world that no one but the Power Rangers can stand up to. This…Drakor, is one of them. The Power chose you for a reason. It gave you the colour Yellow for a reason. Accept that honour and move on."

Simon closed his eyes resignedly. He knew his father was right. He was being stupid because he hadn't been chosen as the Red Ranger. While he hadn't understood the honour of being chosen by the Power then, he understood and cherished it now. There was just that matter of his feelings for Ronny – which he confided to his father. Jason rolled his eyes yet again – marvelling that they hadn't fallen out yet – and hit his forehead, exasperated. When he spoke, his voice was hard and firm.

"Simon Scott-Carville, listen to me."

Simon stiffened and swallowed hard. Never before had his father used his full name in such a dark tone. He wondered what line he had overstepped this time. Undaunted, his father continued.

"If you truly honour and respect both your Commander and the Power, you will stay away from her. She is already taken by Weihan – and judging on what I've heard of her, they'll make a good match. Answer me one question. Do you respect both Commander and the Power?"

Simon nodded. If anything, this was driving home the fact that Ronny was off limits to him. Then again…there was always Kat. His musing was cut short by a harsh, barking alarm – the proximity alarm. It was a very rarely used alarm – at least this side of Konu, but it spelled trouble. Simon swore under his breath and turned to look at his father. To his surprise, Jason had an understanding look on his face.

"Go. Remember – the Power protects always – not just those who wear the armour."

Simon nodded once, closed the communication and ran out the door. Whatever it was, he was sure he could handle it without morphing.

Weihan grinned, pleased with himself. He had Ronny and Kat struck speechless at the sight of their combat vehicles. He just needed the technicians make a few more minor adjustments, and they would be ready for the Transfer. In reality, the Transfer would only take another 15 minutes. His enhanced Ranger sense told him that something big was coming up very soon. He just hoped that Simon and Kat would be able to control them. First times could go really well – or be a disaster. He winced internally – remembering his first few attempts to control the Spinozord, glancing at the thickly armoured doors that led to Hadeas' rocky surface.

He had to admit – the builders and technicians had truly outdone themselves.

Under the skilled guidance of three of the TW Battle Group's most skilled technicians, seanymemory, AznBoi01 and flip, three massive marvels stood in front of them. A black and green Leopard Assault Tank and a yellow and grey Cobra Attack Hovertank sat on either side of a massive red, black and white Katana Meka. To the untrained eye, the Leopard and the Cobra looked similar to their normal incarnations – if a bit bulkier. The Katana was the standout. Its energy blades had been replaced with metallic blade shaped hands, the legs seemed sturdier and the head looked detachable. Even stranger to the two Rangers was the TW Rangers symbol emblazoned on the chest. Ronny looked at Weihan, who had a troubled look on his face. She gently asked him what was wrong. He sighed.

"It's Dryken. I swore I destroyed him completely…but now that he's back, who knows who else could be back? Some might be brazen enough to steal the experimental morpher."

Ronny's eyes widened a fraction, while Kat's eyebrows shot up. She had pored over the restricted files for hours and had never come across any mention of an "experimental morpher". She said as such, and watched Weihan's shoulders sag minutely. From this, she could see that what he was going to say was big.

"The Silver Morpher is highly unstable. While it has a strong links to the Universal Morphin Grid, those links are mostly on the dark side – but it is not inherently evil. The bearer can choose to be good or evil. If it is used for evil, it will be a force to be reckoned with."

Weihan sighed, tugging on the collar of his jacket. What he was saying was extremely classified, but he trusted his Rangers – Simon included. He knew that he Yellow Ranger had a confidante, he just wasn't sure who. He hadn't ruled out any former Rangers – but he didn't know if he had connections to any. He drew in a deep breath and continued.

"The Silver Morpher is a unique piece of machinery, drawn on from various alien technologies. It is 100 customisable – able to adapt to any situation and any obstacle. It is – simply put – a masterpiece. Fortunately, this Morpher is kept on my being all the time. This much raw power in the hands of someone other than me…even I don't want to think of what could happen. You've all read the reports on the Green Dragon Ranger, the Ninja Thunder Rangers and the Quantum Ranger, so you know what power can do to a person."

The two Rangers nodded mutely. They knew of what he was talking about – the most famous cases of Power Corruption…and the first stages of Morphin Madness. The Green Dragon Ranger had been totally corrupted by the evil power he held and the Ninja Thunder Rangers were brainwashed into holding the Power. The Quantum Ranger – Eric Meyers – however, was a totally different story. He had taken the Quantum Powers for the sake of having more power than the Time Force Rangers. He had pushed past the Power's mental control eventually, but at first he had been more dangerous than Evil. Weihan sucked on his front teeth and nodded once. He took in a deep breath.

"These combat vehicles are what you will be using for training purposes. In the unlikely situation of a Bandit dropship in the next 5 minutes, you won't have to use them immediately. Kat, your vehicle is the newly designed Leopard Assault Tank. We've reinforced the armour, revamped the shield generator and increased the payload of the main cannon. It is a force to be reckoned with. Just…don't pull the black lever until I tell you."

Kat nodded mutely, staring up at the enormous Leopard. It exuded an air of deadly power, with its three turrets ready to shred anything in its way. Even the treads looked different – sturdier and stronger. She couldn't find an explanation for the horizontal seam near the cockpit though. A glance to Weihan showed that he wouldn't be saying anything else on her vehicle.

"Ronny, you will command a redesigned Katana Meka. You'll see that the blades have been revamped – allowing humanoid hands…albeit in the shape of blades. Due to its lack of long range weapons, we have permanently fitted a Crusader Longgun into it. Also…don't push the Red button on the control console. At least…not yet."

Ronny stared up at the Meka before her. She could see that the hands were blade shaped, but still could grip things. The only thing a bit out of place was the turret on its left shoulder. She couldn't find words to describe it – it was an utterly magnificent machine. She was so enamoured by it, she almost didn't hear the proximity alarm begin to wail. Weihan snapped into action, running to a viewscreen to see what was outside. What he saw was a monstrosity that reminded him strongly of the Fearcats. The robot was in the shape of a Beast Meka, with the "arms" of a Battleaxe and the legs of a Claymore. From a nearby corridor, Simon skidded in – almost losing his balance as he stopped. Weihan whirled around to face them, his gaze zeroing in on Ronny.

"It's time. I'm sorry you don't get to take them out on a trial run first, but time is of the essence. Simon, you're in the Cobra Hovertank. It's bigger and bulkier, but moves as fast as a Lightfoot. I'll keep track of your progress here. Don't morph until you know what you're dealing with."

As he talked, the Rangers were entering their vehicles, but they could still hear him. He turned away from the viewing console and moved to the Command Station. In front of him were screens showing the cockpits of the vehicles, hull integrity readings, fuel consumption ratios and the array of Commands that he could use. He was always fascinated by the Commands system – to input a Command to a unit or enemy and instantly watch the results. Of course, he knew how the technical aspect worked – an Aquitian telepathic interface coupled with subspace transmitters acquired from Onyx. In times when he couldn't get to the Command Station, vehicle pilots and crews could issue Commands on their own vehicles, but with a "cooldown" period – in which the systems reset themselves.

Ronny entered the cockpit of her Katana by way of a high-speed elevator platform, while Simon and Kat just climbed in. Ronny was amazed at the simplicity of the Mekas controls – which consisted of a steering wheel similar to her Control Driver. On the sides of the wheel were buttons, presumably to control and fire the weapons. The "Big Red Button" was in the centre of the steering wheel. She sat down on the high backed seat and was strapped in automatically by two shoulder harnesses. To her left were screens showing engine temperature, energy distribution and shield reserves, while to her right were the controls for speed and her life support systems. As the Meka prepared for launch, the viewscreen in front of her flared to life – giving her a real-time image of the Holding Bay. Weihan's voice sounded from hidden internal speakers.

"So far, it's standing still. I don't know if this is a lure to get you out there, but be prepared for anything."

Kat nodded – even though she was sure that Weihan couldn't see her. Her Leopard cockpit was in a very small space – as though it had been an afterthought. Just like Ronny, she had the same controls – the only difference being the addition of a small black lever on the right side. Over the speakers, Simon's voice blared out – excited and curious.

"Hey, Commander, what's up with the Yellow lever? I'm not going to touch it, just what is it?"

"Don't touch it yet. To tell the truth, that function hasn't been fully integrated into the system yet. So don't push or pull on the buttons or levers in your colour. Agreed?"

The three Rangers gave varying sounds of commitment. Satisfied, Weihan ran his fingers over various buttons and dials, releasing numerous maintenance hoses from the vehicles. He licked his lips once, and then pressed a button. Instantaneously, the powerful Ultra Energy engines thrummed to life, producing an all encompassing roar. It sounded like an earthquake and it felt like one.

"Powering up Zo – vehicles…NOW!"

Despite the increasing noise, Ronny smiled to herself. She had caught Weihan's slip. Their vehicles didn't look like the usual vehicles she had seen on the briefing. They were heavier, bulkier – Zordlike. They were armoured heavily – almost if they were to be brought into a high impact area…like an escalated monster battle. Grinning to herself, she watched as the doors slowly swung outward, revealing the red soil of Hadaes. Mechanics, technicians and workers scrambled out of the way of the machines. From his place at the Command Station, Weihan exhaled slowly. The surface of Hadeas was similar to Earth – the only difference being a 25 increase of oxygen. In fact, the only planet without a breathable atmosphere was Konu. Weihan keyed his microphone and spoke.

"OK guys. This is it. Rangers, roll out!"

The Leopard and Cobra instantly responded, rolling off their platforms – crushing those unfortunate enough to still be out in the open. The Katana Meka moved after them, running at full speed. He could hear the excited yells from the Rangers as they moved away from the base. He touched a button and spoke to Ronny on a private channel.

"Ronny, I don't know what's out there, but I'm trusting you'll keep everyone safe. Something about the robot throws me off a bit, so be careful."

Ronny nodded, despite the inertia restricting her movement somewhat. She eyed her readings and saw that everything was in the clear. She, too, had fears of what the robot was. Ever since Dryken had seemingly returned from the dead, she wondered who else could have returned. She still had nightmares of being tied up, at the mercy of the Fearcats – watching as they drew their army from the Mirrored Portal. She knew that the Fearcats were now history – defeated by a last-ditch shot from the DriveMax Ultrazord, so theoretically, she had nothing to be worried about.

But as the three vehicles approached their target, Ronny felt the fear creep up on her once more.

TBC…


	11. Into the Furnace

Chapter 11 – Into the Furnace

Ronny was concerned. While the new vehicles handled well, she couldn't see any trace of the robot on her scanners. Biting her bottom lip, she checked all of her systems were up and running. She knew her energy reserves and weapon caches were at 100, with shields holding strongly. Something still felt off to her. She shook her head, keying on the intercom.

"Anything on the planet radar Wei? We can't see anything." 

The reply was quick and tense.

"Coming up on it now…it looks ready to fire – be careful!" 

She couldn't reply as she yanked the steering wheel left – barely avoiding a barrage of missiles. Over the active intercom, she could hear yells of surprise as Kat and Simon dodged the fire. Out of a cloud of red dust, she saw the enemy. It certainly looked deadly enough. Three thin, but well supported legs connected to the torso, shoulders and "head" of a Beast Meka and the mechanical arms of a Battleaxe. She scanned the robot for any distinguishing features such as flags or symbols. She found none, nor was she expecting to. Narrowing her eyes, Ronny thumbed the trigger on the Crusader. The turret fired out its deadly payload, striking the right arm of the robot. As the smoke cleared, she was surprised to see that her bullets had damaged the arm – blowing a chunk of the "elbow" away. She muttered curses to herself as she made the Meka run closer, activating the Katana's deadly energy blades.

To Kat, the changes in Ronny's Meka were amazing. The "hands" lost all of their flexibility, becoming rigid blades. The entire lower arms of the Meka began shimmering with a pale green colour as the energy blades activated. The enemy robot seemed to recoil in apparent fear as Ronny closed in. Simon warily hung back in case something happened. His father's words still rang in his head as well as the meaning behind them – to support his team at any cost. He studied his options. His laser cannon packed a mean wallop, but could only be fired once before recharging…while his ballistic turret was good to go. He hung back – waiting for a chance to shoot.

As the Katana moved in, it raised its left arm – slashing diagonally across the right shoulder of the robot. As Ronny moved the Meka back, she admired her handiwork. The shoulder started sparking violently, the armour plating damaged beyond repair. The robot stopped moving, then thrust its shoulder towards the Katana. Ronny quickly made the 75 ton machine duck to avoid the final explosion of hot metal as the shoulder disintegrated.

Encouraged by this sight, Ronny keyed her intercom. Her voice was distracted and hard.

"Guys, the best thing to do is to hit it hard and fast. Use whatever you've got. I don't think it has much fight left in it."

The words had just left her lips, when her Meka was sent staggering as round after round of ballistic fire struck the shields. Her viewscreen glowed purple as the compensators attempted to do their job – to compensate for the energy feedback from the shields. A quick glance at her readings showed that it was doing its job. That was good – the shields weren't going to blow out anytime soon. As she struggled to get the robot back in the game, a flash of black to her right caught her attention. Kat manoeuvred the Leopard towards the enemy unit, drawing a bead through her sights.

Flicking a button on her wheel, she was mildly surprised as a keyboard appeared to her right. Not taking her eyes off the target, she skimmed her fingers over the tops of the keys – until she found the right key. Pressing it, the Leopard ground to a halt – a targeting matrix appearing on the viewscreen. She waited as the crosshairs locked onto the stabilising leg of the hybrid robot, before firing. The Leopard shook as its three barrels discharged – striking the robotic appendage with deadly accuracy. As the debris cleared, it was clear that the robot would not be walking anymore…well, not in a straight line at least. The leg had been completely blown away from the body with such force that the entire backside of the meka was torn open.

Inside the enemy Meka, it was chaos. The two pilots struggled to keep up with the damage that was happening. It was a simple plan really – dispatch another giant robot and destroy whoever came to fight it. It was a great plan – but there was one flaw. From monitoring the transmissions of the vehicles, it appeared that one of the Power Rangers was in the humanoid robot. They had focused all of their fire onto it – only to be met with shock as their attacks did nothing. Then, to top it all off – the stabilising leg had been destroyed by an aimed shot. Their Meka was a junked item – but they couldn't leave it – they had to wait to reveal themselves.

Then they would finally triumph!

Simon had an opportunity. He quietly snuck his Cobra behind the immobilised robot, before firing his lasers – point blank. The enemy robot staggered as the powerful green beam tore straight through its unarmoured back. Simon jerked back the lever beside his Control Driver, reversing as the robot awkwardly swung around. He swore as his energy reading went through the roof and the Cobra's anti-gravity units went dead. He angrily tapped his communicator.

"Guys. I'm dead. I've got no movement at all. All I can do is shoot, but that's about it."

Ronny's voice replied, sounding calmer than he would have thought possible.

"Don't worry Simon. Your shot must've winged their generator, because my analysis shows that it's not getting any shield regen. You did good Ranger."

Simon's shoulders slumped in relief. Briefly, he wondered if it was possible to send a transmission to his father, but decided against it. Besides, he could always send him something after the mission. He watched the robot through his viewscreen with mild curiosity. The robot had finally managed to turn around, giving Simon an impressive view of his handiwork – namely the gaping hole in its chest. A soft beep alerted him to the fact that his laser cannon had finished recharging. He gripped the steering wheel with both hands and waited for a good shot.

He moved the turret upwards, until the crosshairs were pointing at its left arm. He waited for a brief moment, then fired. He felt the Cobra buck slightly as the energy shot from the turret, impacting against the seemingly unyielding metal. As the smoke cleared, the arm looked intact and whole. Simon's eyes widened in shock – even as he heard Weihan swear over the radio. Slowly, the arm twitched once before literally melting off at the shoulder – with no pyrotechnics. The evil machine seemed to blink in shock before turning its gaze onto the two units rushing in.

The first ballistic barrage hit the robot on the upper right side of its chest, shredding the weakened armour. The robot staggered back as Kat's Leopard rammed into its remaining legs. For a few seconds, it looked as though it could fall back at any minute – before righting itself. Lifting up one of its remaining legs, it took an unsteady step forward and raised its damaged right arm. Kat turned the Leopard in a tight circle – barely missing the deadly barrage. She returned fire with her own main cannon – the shots exploding against its hand. In a small explosion, the entire lower arm blew up, sending chain reactions everywhere on the robot. Kat blinked in shock. The amount of damage they had done wouldn't normally be enough to critically damage anything, but it seemed as though their weapons had more than quadrupled in strength. A blur of metal was all she saw as the Katana raced at it, blades held high.

The first swipe ploughed through the thick torso armour, destroying reserves of ammunition. The humanoid Meka stepped back, wrenching its blade out of the dying robot. Fire spewed out of the gash, singing Ronny's shields. The second and final slash sliced the crippled robot in two, the top half tipping backward in slow motion – the stump of its arm flailing wildly. The three Rangers moved their vehicles backward quickly, as a massive fireball consumed the remains. Ronny relaxed, slumping in her seat as the adrenaline slowly left her body. It had been a tough fight, but they had come out victorious in the end.

Suddenly, all three viewscreens flashed purple as they were assaulted by a barrage of lasers. Something twinged in Ronny's mind as she noted the colour of the lasers. They weren't the usual neon green colour. They were dark green and bright yellow. There were only two beings she had fought in recent times that could shoot lasers of that colour – but both were destroyed. She swallowed hard, opening up the communication link to her boyfriend.

"Weihan – do you see anything?"

At the Command Station, he was running different radar scans – hoping for a different result each time. No such luck. He pounded the console in front of him and growled. In the screen in front of him, he could see the vehicles being buffeted by the blasts of two creatures he hoped were long gone. He heard Ronny's question, but chose to answer the full team.

"I see something, but it's obscured by the smoke. Act quickly Rangers. Simon and Kat, I've integrated your weapons into your Morphin Matrix. They should be ready for you."

Inside their cockpits, all three Rangers nodded. In one swift movement, they had unharnessed themselves and were scrambling for the outer hatch. Ronny took in a deep breath before following suit. She knew that if those figures were who she thought they were – they were all dead meat. Weihan's words from before echoed in her head.

"Our enemies can and will attack at any opportunity"

She shuddered inwardly before heading toward the Turbo-Lift. As she stepped in, she tried to calm herself by thinking of Weihan and what he would do in this situation. Of course, it helped that he was just a button press away and he was looking out for her. She marvelled at the Turbo-Lift's design – which was a simple metal platform with an extremely powerful hydraulic lift system. The platform slowed and came to a steady halt at the base of one of the Katana's legs. The doors opened, revealing red soil and strong, hot winds. A quick check around her confirmed that Simon and Kat were already out of their vehicles and approaching the two figures.

She made sure that both her Overdrive and TW Trackers were within reach, walking slowly and purposefully toward the creatures. To her, they looked the same as when she had last seen them. Clad in near-identical black form fitting armour, the two figures could almost have been mistaken for Power Rangers, except their stance was more menacing.

One of the figures was taller than the other. It was encased in black armour, with a face moulded after a wolf's head. The green sphere in the middle of its torso armour blinked on and off in a steady pattern. In its hands, it held a pair of handguns with blades on the undersides of their barrels. The other's armour was patterned after a tiger, the eyes on the face leering at the three Rangers. In its arms, it cradled a shotgun of sorts – with a blade on the underside of the barrel. In the middle of its chest was a yellow sphere that seemed to blink hypnotically.

The figure with the yellow sphere stepped forward, its voice thin, reedy – but bone chilling.

"Well, what do we have here Mig?"

The other creature laughed. It was a laugh of one who was on the brink of insanity. Ronny swallowed hard as the wolf figure spoke in a voice of pure contempt.

"Looks like we have Rangers, Benglo, both old and new"

As the two figures approached, Ronny stiffened up – biting back her fear. She had to be strong in front of her Rangers. Memories flashed to the forefront of her memory at being captured by them – the first time to unleash their army and the second time to drain her energy. Her stance wavered as the fear washed over her. They were leering at her – their robotic faces being more expressive then ever. Next to her, Kat flicked her eyes over the two aliens. They weren't Shar'Kahr, that was certain – but how did they know that they were Power Rangers?

Sure, she amended to herself, the entire TW Battle group knew – but that was because the Supreme Commander had broadcast a message to them. Even stranger, was that they seemed to know Ronny from somewhere…she was sure that Tommy had told her that Adam had met Ronny before, but she wasn't sure where. The two beings stopped, directly in front of the Rangers. Ronny growled through her teeth, anger taking hold of her.

"The Hell are you two doing here? We destroyed you on Earth!"

The one called Benglo cackled, sending chills down Simon's spine. He didn't like these freaks at all, but he didn't know what they were capable of. For all he knew, they could render him unconscious in a second…or kill him outright. Benglo finally stopped laughing and addressed Ronny, a sneer evident in his voice.

"Like the Phoenix, we have risen from the ashes! What you think you destroyed were merely twins of ourselves. Mere fabrications."

Ronny's eyes widened. Twins and fabrications – that could only mean one thing. That the "Fearcats" they had destroyed were nothing more than clones. Ronny furrowed her brow in puzzlement, keeping a close eye on the Cats. It didn't make sense. Why make clones of themselves and then vanish? Self preservation? It didn't seem likely. Sensing Ronny's uncertainty, Mig laughed.

"We made those clones so we could travel the galaxy with Dryken and be stronger than ever! From our perspective, we haven't faced off with you since the Mercurian gained his powers. Everything after that was done by our clones. We monitored them, their plans, their failures – everything."

Ronny had heard enough. She pushed all her fears, doubts and uncertainties to the back of her mind and settled into a fighting stance. Kat and Simon followed suit a split second later – minds reeling from the information they had heard. Drawing in a deep breath, she harnessed her genetic powers and raced at the Fearcats. Two strikes later and they were choking on the red soil of the ground. Kat moved forward to stand in front of the one called Mig. As the alien struggled to get up, she extended a hand to him – offering to help. As the alien cat got to its feet, she purposely fell backwards, using all of her backward momentum to throw the alien into Simon's outstretched arm. As the Fearcat recovered, Simon kneed the beast in his stomach and then rammed his elbow into his back.

Mig went down, but jumped back up – seemingly unhurt. The feline warrior strode towards the Yellow Ranger and grabbed both of his arms in a vice grip. Simon struggled to free himself, using all of his strength and any purchase his feet could get onto the ground. Kat ran behind Mig, but was batted away by a savage kick. Without missing a beat, Mig head butted Simon, causing the Ranger to fall to the ground hard.

Benglo hissed at Ronny. So far, the Ranger had evaded nearly all of his attacks – and he was growing tired. He lifted his energy rifle and fired three times in rapid succession. The energy impacted against Ronny's left shoulder and arm, throwing her out of her super-speed. She crashed painfully to the ground, wincing in pain – but calculating her enemy's movements. Benglo chuckled under his breath and stepped closer to the downed Ranger.

Ronny waited until he was within range, before lashing out with her feet – tripping the alien. Quickly, she got to her feet and looked around. Simon was upright, but wobbly on his feet, while Kat was clutching her ribs on her left side. Other than that, they looked ready and able to fight. Ronny pivoted on her right leg, lashing out with a powerful roundhouse that sent Benglo flying into Mig. The two feline beasts toppled to the ground, giving Ronny precious time to regroup with her Rangers. She knew from experience that the Power surge would supercharge their bodies – allowing their injuries to be healed instantly. She nodded once to Kat and flicked her right wrist, allowing her TW Tracker to materialise in a flash of red. Two other flashes alerted her to the fact that both Simon and Kat had summoned their morphers. Ronny didn't bother with the fancy morph – she wanted this over now.

"TinyWarz – Accelerate!"

With a flick of her left hand, she spun the flywheel, allowing the familiar rush of the Power to flood her senses. As the Red armour enveloped her body, she was aware of Kat and Simon going through the entire morphing sequence – either not knowing better or to familiarise themselves with the motions. Twin bursts of light told her that they were ready for battle. As the Fearcats gaped at them, they sounded – for the first time – their roll call.

"Warrior of Stealth – Yellow Ranger!"

"Warrior of Speed – Black Ranger!"

"Warrior of Strength – Red Ranger!"

They stood, shoulder to shoulder – Ronny in the middle with Kat on her left and Simon on her right. They stood confidently, their bodies radiating courage and power. Behind hem, the Fearcats were sure they could see the Operation Overdrive symbol behind a flaming V. Their voiced radiated strength in their unity and fearlessness.

"TINYWARZ RANGERS!"

Mig gulped as he took in the sight in front of him. Where three pitiful humans once stood, were three Power Rangers. He hadn't felt afraid in a long time, but seeing the newly morphed Rangers in front of him…he shuddered. He saw the Red Ranger tilt her head down – a sure sign of distraction. With a small glance at Benglo, he raised his blasters and fired, kicking up a blinding cloud of dust. He was sure that the blast had connected, so he was utterly surprised as the Red Ranger charged through the dust cloud, striking him in his chest. He fell backwards, stunned for the time being. Benglo looked at his fallen comrade and snarled. In one swift movement, he converted his rifle into a deadly blade and swung it at the Red Ranger. He was mildly surprised as it connected with a metallic sword – her new weapon, it seemed. Although his mouth was forever frozen in an angry snarl, Benglo smiled. Maybe it would be a better challenge this time around.

Simon and Kat circled their enemy warily. Mig eyed them both warily. He decided that close combat would work best – so he followed Benglo's lead. Kat and Simon were unprepared for the weapon transformation and the subsequent high-speed attack. The blades slashed their armour hard and fast – causing the suit's shields to spark briefly. Simon crouched down and lashed out – trying to get his foe off balance. Seeing what he was doing, Kat flipped behind the beast and lifted her left leg high, before bringing it down on his back. Mig staggered forward – into Simon's attack. The Fearcat tripped forward, but turned his fall into a forward roll – converting one of his blades back into pistol form. He came up firing – the bolts striking the Rangers squarely in the middle of their chests. Kat bit down hard on her lip and opened up a channel to Weihan – who she knew would be watching.

"Commander, I don't mean to hurry you – but we're in trouble here!"

She looked over to where Ronny and Benglo were still locked in combat. Their movements seemed to blend together – akin to a dance. A dance of blades, sparks and death. Ronny was tiring out fast – the Meka battle had taken more out of her that she'd thought and the Power burst was fading rapidly. Holding out the War Sword, she tapped one of the buttons – the Power telling her what it was. Instantly, the metal of the blade retracted back into the guard – catching Benglo off guard. Just as fast, the metal blade was replaced by a blade of flashing flame.

Ronny grinned, but rolled her eyes – it was so typical of Weihan to include an element of fire in her sword. Lifting it up, she slashed down on the stunned beast – the blade powering through his defensive block easily. The tiger beast slashed with his blade – but was surprised to see that his blade passed straight through! More surprising was the fact that his blade started smoking, before melting off. Benglo stared at his ruined weapon in shock and disbelief – before he thought of another weapon he could use. Flexing his fingers, a set of claws shot out of the fingertips. He smirked and advanced towards Ronny.

As Simon and Kat fought against Mig, a sudden crackle in their helmets alerted them to the fact that Weihan was contacting them again. His voice echoed tiredness and triumph.

"OK, I've managed to rig a temporary solution to your Power drain. You can engage them without your powers being leeched. Kat and Simon, your weapons are designed to make you comfortable with fighting at all ranges. Kat, you have the War Wheel. It's designed for both close combat and long range. Simon, the War Blasters are yours. They're mainly used for long range, but you can clobber an enemy with their barrels."

Kat bit back a moan of protest. She absolutely hated close-range combat, but she knew that she had to get past her hurdle. She closed her eyes briefly, before flipping out of Mig's blades. She knew that if they were going to come out of this battle in one piece, she had to act swiftly. Just as Ronny had done, she held out her right hand and concentrated on the Power – allowing it to access the weapon, which she called out in triumph.

"War Wheel!"

In a flash of dark purple, the War Wheel appeared. It was shaped somewhat like a compass – with four shafts surrounding a small circle. At the end of the shafts, two blades curved outwards. All in all, it looked like the Frisbee from Hell. Kat chuckled to herself and began familiarising herself with the weapon. She raced towards Mig – who was still battling hand to hand with Simon – and spun around in a tight circle. The War Wheel slashed Mig's back repeatedly, creating a large gash in the armour. The Fearcat whirled around to face his attacker and lashed out with one of his blades. Kat acted quickly, her right hand grasping one of the shafts, bringing the Wheel to block the blade.

She jumped up and kicked the blade away, before using her momentum to both flip back and fling out the War Wheel and the Fearcat. The War Wheel blurred through the air, striking Mig everywhere – faster than he could follow. As if acting on some mental command, the War Wheel energised itself – the metal blades flashing a mixture of black and purple. It flew straight into Mig's hands – instantly destroying his weapons. As it flew back, Kat caught it and nodded to Simon, who nodded back. He did what Kat had done – concentrating on his weapons and holding out both hands to receive them.

"War Blasters!"

In a brilliant yellow flash, two wicked blasters appeared in his hands. To any previous Ranger, they looked very similar to the Turbo Hand Blasters – but that was where the similarity ended. They looked sleeker and deadlier – not to mention bulkier. Simon was thrilled beyond belief. He had a weapon that he could finally use for long range combat…but he didn't like the fact that Weihan had said "clobber with the barrels". That meant close range, but he was all right with it.

Drawing a bead on the wounded Fearcat, he pressed down on the triggers, feeling a slight kickback as the energy streamed toward the target. The resulting blast was so explosive, it knocked Mig back into Benglo – the latter accidentally impaling the former with his claws. Simon grinned and prepared to shoot again, when Ronny raced towards him. He looked at her with some confusion, but she slightly shook her head – looking at the Fearcats. Mig growled and removed the offending claws from his body – brushing off Benglo's attempts at apologising. He growled at the Rangers – anger and fear evident in his voice. In the back of Benglo's brain, he registered that it was the same emotion that the Red Ranger had expressed at the start of the fight.

"We'll be back Rangers – you can bet on it!"

At that, they jumped high into the air – becoming streaks. The streaks shot off to the south. Simon turned back – eager to hunt them down, but was stopped as Ronny put a hand on his shoulder. She shook her head firmly, about to say something – when a strange noise from their helmet speakers stopped her. She tried to pin what it was down – before a feeling of dread enveloped her.

She knew something had happened.

Something bad.

In the Command Station, Weihan breathed a sigh of relief. As corny as it had sounded on paper, the "Ranger Roll Call" didn't sound too bad at the start of a battle. He guessed it also had something to do with the voices of the Rangers – calling out his Power always sounded good to his own ears. He sighed softly and looked around. Everyone who had been in the hangar had left to deploy elsewhere or had left to check on their wounds.

It was just him alone, watching over his Rangers. A quick glance at the battlefield scanner showed something disturbing. It was true – what Mig had said – the Fearcats were stronger than before. If he read the report right, they were even stronger than the clones had been. What was more disturbing was the fact that they seemed to be…leeching…power from the Rangers. Weihan bit back a scream of frustration, but resolved himself to fix their suits as soon as they came back. Now that they were morphed, he could communicate with them. He keyed in the communicator frequency for the three Rangers and spoke.

"OK guys, that was good. Ronny, be careful – the readings here say that not only are they stronger than ever – they're also drawing Power from you. I'll rig up a temporary solution for you on my end, but I'll have to do an overhaul of your armour when you come back."

Ronny replied back, concern evident in her voice.

"We'll be fine. What about the weapons? Have they been fully integrated into the Grid?"

Weihan smirked to himself – knowing Ronny couldn't see it. He had said before that they were fully integrated. Either Ronny hadn't heard, or she was trying to reassure herself. He rapidly typed on the keypad in front of him, bringing up a real-time image of the Universal Morphin Grid. He could see flashes as different teams morphed, minute pulls as their Powers were drained and mini-explosions as morphers were destroyed.

He breathed out hard as he navigated his way through the Grid, coming up on the Terran Powers. He skimmed through all of the layers, filing away information for later use, until he got to the TW Powers. His hands left the keypad and slid onto two control levers – which he used to sort through the arsenal – both present and future. He smiled as he found what he was looking for – looking up to see Ronny squaring off against Benglo. Simon and Kat were barely holding their own against Mig – his pistol blades slashing against their armour.

Weihan started to sweat. It was a choice of either giving them their weapons now or fixing their suits. He chose to do both, his right hand keying in commands to be relayed through the Morphin Grid, while his left hand brought up information on the two new weapons. A brief flash in the Grid startled him, before he realised that Ronny had summoned her War Sword. As he worked, he heard Kat call out to him, through the communicator.

"Commander, I don't mean to hurry you, but we're in trouble here!"

He clenched his teeth together, not bothering to reply. Any lapse in his concentration now would result in their Powers failing them entirely. Time seemed to slow down as Weihan worked the Grid – trying to patch up ay leaks he could find. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he had patched up 85 of the small leaks. It wasn't 100, but he was content that it would hold out. He spoke again to the Rangers, his voice echoing his tiredness. 

"OK, I've managed to rig a temporary solution to your Power drain. You can engage them without your powers being leeched. Kat and Simon, your weapons are designed to make you comfortable with fighting at all ranges. Kat, you have the War Wheel. It's designed for both close combat and long range. Simon, the War Blasters are yours. They're mainly used for long range, but you can clobber an enemy with their barrels."

He received sounds of acknowledgement from the Rangers. He grinned to himself. Kat wasn't comfortable with close combat and Simon didn't like blasters of any type. He had purposefully given them weapons that they would be forced to use – due to the lack of side arms. He closed off the connection and took out the Silver Morpher. He stared at it for a long time, admiring it.

It was based off the Thunder Morphers – a wrist mounted device with the activation button at the bottom. It was in the shape of a paw print – the paw print of a Wolverine, actually. Whoever held the Morpher would be influenced by the conflicting nature of the energy that powered it – both from the Light and Dark sides of the Grid. He had lied to both Ronny and Kat when he said that the Morpher was not inherently evil. Whether by flaw or on purpose, the Silver Morpher was irrevocably evil. He had even made a rare trip to Earth to show it to the Mystic Mother – hoping that her good magic could purge the evil within.

Before he had even gotten to the outskirts of Briarwood, the leader of the Mystic Rangers – Nick Russell – had stopped him. He had told him that the Mystic Mother would not see the Morpher for herself, because it had begun to tempt her back to evil – even before he had begun his journey. The Light had tried to destroy the Morpher then and there, but even with the combined efforts of his full team – and Weihan's own Ultra Powers – they didn't even make a dent. After that, the Mystic Mother had urged him to never use it – ever. That was after he had spent so much time, energy and effort integrating Zords and weapons into the Matrix.

After secretly consulting with Andrew Hartford, he had decided that no matter where he kept the Morpher, the forces of Evil would find it and use it for their plans. So, on his return journey, he had taken a small detour to Aquitar to rendezvous with Billy. Together, they had managed to construct a firewall around the energy converters – rendering the Morpher useless. The only thing that could dissolve the firewall was a specific DNA sequence – one who had willingly embraced deceit as a way of life.

With the Morpher seemingly defunct, Weihan had returned to the Orbital Battle station to continue designing the Hadaes Base. A duplicate Silver Morpher shell was constructed and placed under extremely tight security – while the original Morpher was kept in his pocket at all times. He placed the Morpher to his left and continued to watch the battle. Kat and Simon were doing well with their weapons – blasting and slashing with near-perfect accuracy. So engrossed with watching was he, that he failed to notice the shadow creeping up behind him – nor hear the sound of a heavy object being swung.

The pain that flashed into being was mercifully brief.

Then, he felt nothing at all.

TBC…


	12. Orange Rebirth

AN: Bit of an edit to clear thing up a tad and to…well, you'll see…

Chapter 12 – Orange Rebirth

He couldn't see anything.

He was floating in a sea of inky blackness. It was kind of soothing, welcoming. He was dimly aware of voices around him – voices calling out in fear, anger and sadness. He was aware of bodies close to him, pushing him around, pulling him. Where was he? As far as he knew, he was in no danger – the blackness was comforting, enticing him to come closer and closer and be lost in its depths. He wanted to go forward, but something was holding him back. He wanted to turn and see who it was – but the familiar scent of the person jolted him to his senses. Struggling, he tried to open his eyes – fighting against the dull throbbing sensation at the back of his skull. The person behind him stopped and rubbed his shoulder – whispering words in a soothing tone. He couldn't quite make out what was being said, but he forced his brain to focus.

"Take it easy, Commander. We don't know how but Ronny knew something was wrong after the battle."

As he heard the words, he focused on the name. Ronny. An image flashed briefly before his mind's eye of a beautiful woman, standing tall and proud – light brown hair flowing over her shoulders. Her eyes seemed to pierce the blackness – bringing him to near-full awareness. As if noticing his struggles, the voice kept talking.

"We raced back here to find you slumped over the Command Station, unconscious. The Medical Technician – Duffman – was trying to awaken you. Ronny's in the other room, talking to the good doctor. Simon's in there to stop her killing him."

His tormented mind finally recognised who was speaking to him – Kat Murphy. The Black TW Ranger. Ronny was his girlfriend and the Red TW Ranger. Simon was an asshole, but he was also the Yellow TW Ranger. He was Weihan Liang, the TW Ranger Commander and the Orange Ultra Ranger. And his head was hurting like Hell. He forced his eyes open, the light causing him to wince – the wince causing a lance of pain to shoot through his skull. His eyes refocused on the redhead in front of him. He had a feeling something was off, but he didn't know what it was. Something had been taken, but what? He knew it was something important – but he just couldn't remember. He heaved a frustrated sigh and looked at Kat again, pain lacing his words.

"Kat, take me to Ronny. And get a tech to get me the security tape."

Simon's eyes widened as Ronny gripped the collar of the medical technician. She was furious and worried beyond belief at seeing Weihan unconscious – and Duffman wasn't helping much. She wanted – needed – answers about what had happened. Unfortunately, Weihan was still out cold and the security cameras hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary. Duffman had stated that he had seen something – but had played it off as unimportant. Before Simon could react, Ronny had leapt over the table and grabbed the doctor by the throat, demanding to know what he saw. He understood that she was worried and upset – and her actions showed the depth of love that she had for Weihan. He – on the other hand – feared for the life of Duffman, seeing as how he was the only qualified Medical doctor on the Hadaes Base. When Ronny spoke again, her teeth were clenched in rage.

"I'm going to ask you once more – what did you see?"

Duffman – for his part – protested vehemently, standing firm – even with Ronny's hand gripped on his collar. Fortunately, he had managed to get his throat out of the madwoman's death grip. He wasn't going to tell her what he saw – he didn't even believe his eyes himself. He couldn't give out information about his patient – that was purely for family only. He stammered out as such, holding his ground firmly. Ronny's eyes narrowed, but she released his collar – allowing Duffman to compose himself. When he spoke, his slight Australian accent shone through.

"I'll tell you what I saw, only if he agrees to it himself. And I think he will be out cold for a while at least."

The sound of doors opening caused all occupants to look towards them. Ronny let out a squeal of relief and happiness and flung herself into Weihan's arms. He staggered back, but regained his balance – hugging her back, before looking at the doctor with hard eyes. He knew that he had recovered rapidly due to the regenerative abilities from the Morphin Grid and his Ultra Crystal. He had leant on Kat for half of the way there – before his legs had regained their strength. He knew that if he didn't save Duffman from Ronny – he would be in bigger trouble than he was already in. He still had the feeling that something was missing – something very important. He released Ronny from his grip – while looking at the doctor pointedly. As if sensing his intent, Duffman nodded once and began recounting what he saw.

"I was passing by due to my scheduled diagnostic test of the Medical Technology Slate – also called the "Med Bed" – when I saw a shadow cross the floor of the hangar – before the launch of the vehicles. This shadow leapt up to the Command Station. I thought nothing of it and thought my mind was playing tricks on me. After I finished my test, I walked back the way I came. I heard a noise from the Command Station, so I went up to have a look. I found the Commander slumped over the console, with a large, red welt on the back of his head. Apart from that, nothing seemed out of the ordinary – except small scratches on the surface of the console."

As Weihan listened, the nagging feeling developed into a full blown panic attack. He knew what was missing – and it filled him with dread. He remembered placing the object onto the surface of the Command Console and watching the fight. He swallowed hard and loudly at Duffman's final words.

"It looked as though something had been taken – but what?"

Weihan's right hand immediately went to the pocket on his jacket. His face paled and he sagged onto the wall, closing his eyes as the pain came rushing back with full force. He shook his head violently and then opened his eyes – to see his Rangers and Duffman looking at him, concerned. He nodded once to Duffman and spoke in a surprisingly strong voice.

"I'm all right now. My connection with my crystal has mostly healed me. I need to speak with my Rangers – in private."

Duffman sighed, running a hand through his short blonde hair. He knew that whatever had been taken was of extreme importance. He also knew that for the past two years, there had been a strong security presence near one of the vaults. He was curious as to what was inside it, but knew that if he was caught snooping, the consequences would be severe. To Weihan, he nodded once, walking out the way he had come in. Weihan watched Duffman go and sighed – locking the door. It was his duty to report the missing object to his Rangers – but only Ronny and Kat knew of its existence. He had to say something to them – but he knew when to keep his mouth shut. The energy was irredeemably evil – that was one thing he was sure of. Who had it – he didn't know, but he had his suspicions. He turned to the three concerned Rangers and sighed. He shook his head and cautiously walked over to the table. He propped himself up against it and opened his mouth.

"The Silver Morpher is missing."

Drakor was livid. Not only had the Fearcats not stopped the Rangers, but Dryken had failed as well. Dryken – the supposed clone of a Ranger, twisted and disfigured by the magic of Lord Zedd – had retreated in the face of those Power Rangers. He snarled, sinking back into his throne and closing his eyes in reflection. He reached up with one hand to massage his exposed brain – as if searching for answers. The foot soldiers the Fearcats had brought with them had been destroyed – but their remains served well. After a considerable length of time, Spurex had cobbled together patchwork soldiers for them to use. The Patchers – as they were now known – were crude, but they could fight very well. No two were alike, being a mixture of robotics and Sha'Kahr flesh.

It was one of the times he enjoyed being…what he was.

He remembered the first battle against Zordon well. He growled with rage as he thought of the Rangers who had defeated him – allowing Zordon's magic to imprison him in the Universal Morphin Grid. Thankfully, since the demise of Zordon, his prison had weakened considerably. All it took was the Power surge caused by Thrax for his prison to be shattered entirely. He grinned – or at least tried to. One of the many misfortunes he had suffered was the complete destruction and petrification of most of his facial muscles. He shook his head, closing his eyes as he relived the pain of coming too close to the walls of his prison. The destruction of his prison had also brought his brain out in the open – energy shooting too close to his head had vaporised the top half of his braincase. Honestly, he had no idea what happened to his legs – let alone his entire lower half. When he had been trapped in the Grid, he thought he had been whole. After the prison had weakened – he had been whole. Even when the prison explosively destroyed, he was relatively still in one piece. Unless he was placed under a spell of some sort – but it would take more than Zordon to enspell him.

He shook his head, barring those memories to the farthest part of his mind. He knew Spurex was his best and most loyal warrior – he _had_ waited countless millennia for him to rise again – but there was something about him. Something just seemed off to him. He shrugged to himself, he knew it had to do with something from his past – something involving a swirling vortex and the promise of ultimate power. He sighed yet again and massaged his brain harder. Suddenly, he felt something he had not felt in thousands of years.

Fear.

He knew that the pitiful Rangers on his planet were trained by a legend – the Orange Ultra Ranger, but he hadn't faced them yet. He had no reason to fear them – or the Orange Ranger for that matter. Of course, if Spurex's data was correct, the Ultra Crystal had been all but drained fully – depriving the Ranger of his powers. So, why was an icy ball of fear growing in his gut? He shook his head violently, his brain throbbing faster than ever. Suddenly – the fear subsided. He let out a sigh of relief and then cackled – an idea entering his mind.

Simon blinked in confusion. He saw the faces of both Ronny and Kat paling, as well as Weihan's confident demeanour fading rapidly. He didn't know what was happening – what was the Silver Morpher? Why was it missing? Why was everyone acting like it was the end of the world? His eyes narrowed and he stepped forward – determined to get answers.

"Sir, what is the Silver Morpher?"

He watched as Weihan looked at him in slight confusion, before nodding firmly. He shot a quick glance at the locked door before focusing his gaze onto Simon. For a split second, he looked conflicted about something – before opening his mouth to speak.

"What I am about to tell you is strictly confidential. For Ronny and Kat, they already know of the Silver Morpher and what it can do – but I will elaborate on it. As they are aware, the Silver Morpher has most of its links to the Evil side of the Morphin Grid, but that is not all. The Morpher has the Silver Ranger's entire arsenal within its Morphin Matrix. This allows whoever holds the powers to level an entire planet."

Weihan looked at their faces, surveying them. He saw acceptance, fear and shock. He grimaced inwardly. He never wanted anyone to hold that much raw power, even though his own Ultra Powers pushed the envelope a fair bit. He had never wanted to use his own powers for evil – that would disgrace the Ultra Crystals and the legacy of Zordon. Besides, the Ultra Crystal was recharging – leaving him with only his Ninjetti powers. As powerful as the spirit of the Crocodile was, it wasn't going to be enough against Drakor. He shook away those thoughts and sighed to himself. That wasn't quite right – he still had access to a few morphers that didn't run off the Crystal…like his Time Force Powers and his Mystic Crusader powers. He cleared his throat and spoke again.

"It is, essentially, a tool that can cause great destruction. I have told Ronny and Kat that the Morpher in itself is not Evil. That is true, but because it is away from any Light Ranger influence, it is now fully evil."

He heard gasps of shock come from both Ronny and Kat, while Simon stood there stoically – seemingly oblivious to what was being said. However, this wasn't the case. Inwardly, he was struggling with the information dump – he couldn't believe the Commander had told Ronny and Kat about this…but not him. There was supposed to be a trust bond between team members – right? If Ronny and Kat knew about it first, then that trust had clearly been lost in transit somewhere. He sighed inwardly, he was going to have to ring up his dad again. Weihan's words broke through his inner struggle.

"There is good news in all of this. I had Billy Cranston encode a firewall into it. It is a DNA encoded failsafe. The destructive powers of the Morpher can only be accessed by someone who has willingly embraced deceit into their life. To the best of my knowledge, we can effectively rule out anyone in the Battle Group – even Pie."

The barely concealed snort from Kat told him all he needed to know. To the Rangers, Pie_Masta was the prime suspect – having been suspected of theft of a number of things in the past. Without hard evidence, there was little that Weihan – or anyone for that matter – could do to charge her for the theft. Ronny wasn't convinced, she knew firewalls and fail-safes could be manipulated and bypassed – allowing the user full access. Carefully, she took a seat next to him and whispered what she knew in his ear. He smiled at her words, but noted the grim reality behind them. The DNA sequence – along with the psychological attachments – had been extremely hard to encode into the Morpher, but Billy had told him that the sequence – with attachments – did exist.

For it to be encoded it _had_ to exist; but Weihan had regretted that decision ever since remembering what Zordon had told him years earlier about the 'lost' thirteenth Ultra Crystal. The only way its full power could be accessed was the very reason that the firewall could be bypassed. Then again, from what he had heard; Zedd was no more. The equine Overlord had been destroyed by the Equestrian Rangers; leaving only Discord and Tricksy to battle. The only exceptions to the Rule were himself, the Ultra Crystal and all the teams under his "banner" – including the TinyWarz Rangers.

He grimaced slightly. Encoded or not, someone out there had a very dangerous tool in their hands. A glance at his watch showed that he still had twenty minutes left before he had to check on his other project. He was determined to keep that one under wraps for as long as he could. He was terrified about what could happen if his Crystal couldn't support the energy flow. A leak would prove to be the end of everything – something that he desperately didn't want to happen. The only way a leak could be prevented was if he took up a Morpher – but he wanted to see how his Rangers did first. After a brief internal debate, he ground his teeth together. His team needed to know. He nodded to himself, then spoke to the team in a strong voice.

"The stakes have been raised. Drakor has escalated his war on us. He's shown all of his cards – but we haven't. We have an ace up our sleeves – maybe more than one. Our first battles have shown that we need to be resourceful to win. We have to take risks and insane chances. The next major card is this."

With a flourish, he dropped his left hand – allowing a familiar briefcase to appear. Ronny, Simon and Kat gasped – it was the same case that had housed their TW Trackers. Ronny looked at him and cocked an eyebrow upwards. There was no reason for him to take out that case again – unless, no – he wouldn't take away their Morphers. He had told her the night before that he thought they were a great team…but what was inside the case? Weihan allowed the corners of his mouth the curve upwards in a smile. He had followed Ronny's train of thought and knew what she – and the rest of the Rangers – was thinking. He sat the case on his lap and placed his right hand on top of the case – palm down. Almost immediately, a red light scanned his palm and the latch unlocked. With a hiss of steam, the case opened – revealing the newly constructed contents.

To the untrained eye, it was unremarkable. It was a rectangular block of metal with a circle at one end. As the steam cleared, the full design became evident. Ronny felt a swell of pride, love and amazement as she lay eyes on the Morpher that was clearly meant for Weihan. Studded along the rectangle were a series of buttons – arranged similar to a keypad. Near the circle was a long orange button – clearly marked with a jagged lightning bolt. The circle irised open to reveal a flywheel, emblazoned with Weihan's Ninjetti Power Animal – the Crocodile. With a final hiss, the clamps holding the newly finished Morpher unlocked, allowing Weihan to reach in with his left hand and take out his new Morpher. He smiled at it and reached underneath it, feeling for the wrist bands that he knew were there. With utter care, he unlatched his communicator from his left wrist and slid his Morpher on. He closed his eyes briefly, allowing the Morpher to link with both his Ultra Crystal and the Universal Morphin Grid. He took in a deep breath, exhaling as the mental information dump began – connecting him to his new armour, weapons and Zord.

He opened his eyes to see Ronny staring at him with a large grin on her face, one that he returned. He slid his right arm around her waist, drawing her closer to him – before leaning in and kissing her softly. Strangely, as the kiss intensified, so did the Power coursing through his body. Finally, they broke apart for air – politely ignoring Simon's cheering and Kat's laughs. Weihan gave them a playful glare, then looked down at his Morpher. He cleared his throat – silencing them.

"This is our ace. With my Ultra Crystal still recharging, I cannot access my full powers. This, the Orange TW Tracker, will allow me to tap into both the Morphin Grid and my Ultra Crystal. In the unlikely event that my Ultra Crystal is recharged, I will lose the link to the Grid – but the only being that can fully restore my Ultra Crystal sacrificed himself."

He swallowed the lump in his throat and looked down. He still held a small amount of guilt and sadness over Zordon's death. He knew that it wasn't his fault – that he had asked Andros to be the one to shatter his tube – but he still felt great sorrow that he hadn't had the opportunity to say goodbye to the ancient sage. Seeing his sadness, Ronny placed her head on his shoulder, offering comfort and support. Weihan looked down at her and kissed the top of her head, before speaking again.

"Although I have a Morpher, I won't be able to join you out in the field for a while. I have to go to the High Council on Eltare to tell them of the theft. I will be leaving tomorrow morning and will be back within a few days. You all have the tools and the knowledge to succeed until then."

Weihan slowly slid off the table, keeping his arm around Ronny's waist and trying to get the feeling back into his legs. As his feet touched the floor, a sudden pain in his head caused him to wince, slam his eyes shut and fall to his knees. Through the white hot lancing pain, he heard a very faint – but very familiar voice.

"You need…am on…past battle…Drakor is here!"

He tried to grasp the voice like a lifesaving rope, tried to make the message clearer. What did it mean? The voice faded out – but the pain was still there. He was dimly aware of voices shouting in fear and urgency. He shook his head, trying to clear the pain…but strangely, all he got was a series of images behind his eyes – each one flashing by extremely quickly. Then – as soon as it had come – the pain subsided. Weihan shakily got to his feet – helped up by both Kat and Ronny, while Simon looked nervous. He took in a shaky breath and looked at them with confused eyes. He knew that the message was meant for him – if the others didn't see it. But what did it mean? What was the past battle and why was Drakor there? He nodded once at an unasked question, then stood up straight. He was aware his team – his friends – were staring at him with questions on their minds. He took in a deep breath, before speaking – his voice sounding strangely confident and strong.

"I have no idea what that was, but I'm fine. What I could gather from that was it was a psychic distress call – but I don't know if it was an echo of one or a premonition. I wouldn't worry about it that much. If it intensifies – which I don't think it will, I will alert you. Now, I have to get ready for my trip."

With those last words, his voice had turned into a less-than-enthusiastic tone, which caused the Rangers to chuckle. In reality, he didn't mind going to Eltare – the Council would be pretty lenient on him anyway. It was one of the perks of having a council almost entirely made up of reformed villains – with Mystic Mother, Lord Zedd, Divatox, Master Vile and Dimitria – along with the representatives of the Ninjetti – Ninjor and Dulcea. Since he was directly connected to Zordon's work, he would be given a fair hearing from both Dimitria and the representatives of the Ninjetti. Hopefully, he would be able to talk to them about the vision he had received. He walked to the door – unlocking it. He looked over his shoulder at the three of them and smiled. Ronny and Kat smiled in return, while Simon just nodded. As he walked down the corridor, his thoughts turned to the vision. It was strange – he almost recognised the voice in it…it almost sounded like Zordon – but that was an impossible dream. Zordon was long gone now, but two words stood out from the rest. Past battle. Could it be possible that Zordon was trying to warn him from the past?

He shook his head as he came to the lift. How could Zordon communicate with him from the past? It was almost like that movie, but instead of a piece of paper being sent forward – it was a telepathic message. He shook his head again – not noticing the strange stares coming his way. It just wasn't possible. Even if there was trouble in the past, how could Zordon know where to send the message? It could've gone to someone else like Tommy or even Jason. It didn't seem real. He sighed as he opened the door to his quarters and stepped through, the door sliding shut automatically. As Commander of the TW Ranger Project, he had been given a much larger room than anyone in the TW Battle Group – even Frizz's. It was divided up into three sections – the kitchen/living area, the bathroom and the bedroom. Much to the amusement of Ronny, there were no doors separating the three areas – just door openings. Weihan had told her that it was a design that was easy to walk through – yet a bit hard to defend. He shrugged off his black jacket, throwing it on the orange and yellow couch near the recreational vid-screen. He walked to the Synthetron and punched in a few buttons – before thinking about what he would bring to the Council.

Of course, the Mystic Mother wouldn't be there in person – neither would Dulcea – but the rest of the High Council would be there – in living colour, as Rocky would put it. Of course, he had to bring along his new Morpher – both to show his status as an active Ranger and so Zedd could look over the design for the billionth time. The former Emperor of Evil had surprised everyone when he showed an in-depth knowledge of how Ranger powers worked. He had also developed a close bond of friendship with the former Master Vile – which shocked even the Mystic Mother. Their ascent to the High Council hadn't surprised many, since their formerly evil minds were still sharp with many tactics and strategies. He smiled at the thought of seeing his former enemies again, before he realised what he had to do. He lifted his right hand – palm up and concentrated on it. In an unusually subdued flash, his Ultra Crystal appeared. It had lost most of its sheen during the power drain, but it still maintained enough of a glow to fully light up his quarters. Using his connection with the Crystal, he shrunk it down and threaded it onto a thin necklace – which had been a gift from Alpha 5. He slipped the chain over his head, feeling the coolness of the Crystal against his collarbone. Although it was still providing power to the Rangers, the amount being drained was almost negligible. The Rangers now drew their Power straight from the Universal Morphin Grid. He smirked and picked a small carry bag from one of his closets, thinking about the team as he packed.

Kat and Simon were coming together nicely. Weihan had seen them fight together and he was impressed with what he saw. Simon had come a long way since the first fight – even if that first fight was only eight hours ago. It showed that he was ready and willing to learn – to better himself. He also saw a stern determination in the young man's eyes that was very familiar to him. It reminded him of Jason – the first Red Ranger. Everything about Simon Carville screamed that he was Jason's son – but to the best of his knowledge, Jason had never said anything about having children – but then again, they hadn't spoken in six months. He absentmindedly stuffed in shirts as he thought about the other half of the equation. Kat Murphy – the spoiled rich kid of two overbearing parents. He knew that underneath that façade lay a kind, sweet girl who was eager to learn all there was about her new environment. She would make a good calming agent to Simon's brash temperament, breaking free of her own trappings. Stopping to select a pair of pants, he wondered if they had admitted their feelings for each other yet – but decided they probably hadn't.

He paused to admire his Morpher again. He tapped a sequence of keys on the keypad and was rewarded with a 3D holographic mini-map of sorts – which was just a locator to show where the team's Zords were. From the information dumped in his brain, he knew that he could issue commands to them, and they would be acted upon instantly – without any lag or cool down periods. He decided against taking a firearm with him – as he could easily shift into either his Ninjetti suit or one of his other Crystal unrelated powers. He dumped the half-full bag near the door and waited until the Synthetron beeped. A buzzing at the door startled him, putting him on guard instantly. He knew that security had tightened considerably since the release of Drakor, but it never hurt to be careful. The door slid open, revealing Ronny there. He nodded and invited her in. they both sat next to each other on the couch – Ronny turning towards him with a slight tremor in her voice.

"I just wanted to say goodbye before you have to leave tomorrow."

He smiled and put a hand on her left knee, squeezing it slightly. He knew she would be worried, but it seemed that Simon had finally stopped pursuing her – and was focusing on Kat. He told her that and was rewarded by her leaning closer – placing a hand on his upper thigh. Her voice was soft, but it carried the weight of her emotions.

"I know Simon is chasing after Kat. I'm just going to miss you when you go. I know it's just for a week, but you'll call right?"

Weihan looked at her – looking past the maturity the Power had given her – seeing the scared girl inside. He drew her closer to him – until she was almost sitting on top of him. He held her close to him – feeling her heartbeat. When he spoke, it was in a low voice that carried his love.

"I'll call. I'll be back before you know it anyway. Will you stay with me tonight?"

Ronny smiled and nodded. Weihan's smile widened and he leant in for a long and tender kiss.

No more words were spoken that night.

TBC…


	13. Damages

Chapter 13 – Damages

Ronny watched the shuttle take off with a wide smile. Last night, she and Weihan had shared something special with each other. They had explored every inch of each other – and in doing so, she had willingly given him her virginity. She was just a tiny bit disappointed that it hadn't been his first time – but she quickly got over it once he had shown her true pleasure. That morning, they had another workout, but it was slower and much more passionate than ever. She felt a shiver run up her spine as she relived some of the more…intense moments. At first, she had been deathly afraid of falling pregnant, until Weihan had alleviated her fears by telling her that the Power made all of its bearers sterile…until they gave up the Power. Supposedly this was to stop female Rangers taking their unborn into battle. She had been a bit shaky at the start, but Weihan had taught her what to do quickly…and he had blown her mind with his tongue. She sighed and prayed that he would be safe.

She turned to leave, but stopped at the entrance – looking back as the shuttle entered the upper atmosphere. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned around – to stare into Kat's green eyes. The other girl nodded once, giving a silent show of support. She supposed Kat was better comfort than Simon would be…he would probably still be trying to get into her pants – except he was nowhere to be seen. Ronny wondered about him – if he was dealing with being thrust into the crazy world of Rangering all right. Like Weihan, she had thought he had a confidant of some sort – but there would be no answer forthcoming from the Yellow Ranger. She watched the shuttle streak out of sight, before reluctantly turning her mind to other matters. Seeing her shift in mood, Kat gave Ronny's shoulder one last squeeze before addressing her.

"What's next on your agenda?"

Ronny racked her brain – trying to remember what she had to do. Then, it hit her – she was supposed to meet up with Supreme Commander Frizz. Somehow – in between training, fighting and combat sims – she hadn't had a chance to meet up with him. She found it oddly ironic that it was supposed to be the first thing she did – but she was going to see him finally. She told it to Kat, who smirked. She knew that Frizz's appearance would be a shock to Ronny, so she volunteered to take her to him. Along the way, they discussed various things such as Ronny's Rangering experience, her previous boyfriends and other issues. They stopped once due to a burst of laughter coming from the Technician's Office, but continued along the corridor. The talk had then turned to Weihan. Kat had been blown away by Weihan's past and wanted to know more about what he had seen and fought. Ronny had told her all she knew…before the talk had turned into what she and Weihan had done last night – with Ronny leaving no detail out. She noticed Kat turning various shades of green before they reached Frizz's office. Ronny laughed, but then spoke to Kat in a serious tone of voice.

"Kat, I want you to look for Simon. You two meet me at the Command Station in an hour. I have a feeling we need to be on our toes right now, since Weihan's not here."

Kat heard her voice hitch on the last words – realising that Weihan's sudden departure had hit her the hardest. Kat nodded once, then pulled the Red Ranger in for a brief and hard hug. Ronny was the first to let go, her face more cheery than it had been before. She turned around and walked through the doorway to meet Frizz. She had heard stories of how he was involved in a horrific accident and how he was only a disembodied head – given a new voice by the electronics that "grew" from his severed neck. She dismissed those reports instantly – Frizz couldn't look any worse than Thrax or even Flurious…and they were monsters in every sense of the word. She entered the darkened room and was taken aback at its layout. It was circular in shape, with multiple monitors lining the walls – each one showing different images. One showed two Wolverine Mekas assaulting a bandit base, another showed a Cobra and a Supernova patrolling a planet and another one showed Weihan's shuttle as it touched down on a planet with impossibly white buildings. In the middle of the room was a circular tube – made of a clear crystal and filled with some sort of pink tinted fluid. Suddenly, light flooded the tube – and Ronny's eyes widened.

Suspended in the liquid was the Supreme Commander…or what was left of him. Ronny was reminded of an old cartoon where one of the main antagonists was literally taken apart until he was what Frizz was. A floating brain – with an eyeball attached to the optic nerve – in a jar. The eye turned on the nerve – seemingly on its own – until it focused on Ronny. When Frizz "spoke", his voice wasn't electronic – but it boomed out thunderously.

"Veronica, isn't it? I apologise for my appearance. A rapidly growing cancer spread throughout my body last year. It quickly made mincemeat out of my body and organs. Fortunately, my brain was spared any damage."

Ronny swallowed hard and looked at Frizz. True to his word, his brain looked remarkably healthy and still pulsed with a steady rhythm. She found herself becoming used to his appearance quicker than she thought. She nodded once and waved her hand – silencing the voice. She walked up to the tube and looked straight into to the remaining eye, before speaking.

"I came to talk to you about my drafting. You said in your first letter that you had spoken to Andrew Hartford about me. You said that I would be perfect for the Battle Group. Now, the first day I came, I was recruited to be the Red Ranger. I wanted to know – was that your intention all along? To have me take up the Power again?"

If he could have done so, Frizz would have creased his brow in concentration. He knew that she had both the brains and the experience to propel the Battle Group to total victory over the Sha'Kahr – but then again, so did Weihan. He couldn't lie to the woman in front of him – even though he wanted to, he couldn't. It was time she knew his side of the story. The electronic voice seemed to sigh – the brain slowly pulsing with thought. When the voice spoke again, it seemed to be filled with strength and a commanding force.

"Yes…and no. My intention in sending you that letter was to get you interested. My conversations with Mr. Hartford were purely about funding and business. Only in our last two talks did I broach the subject of his Rangers. He talked about you a lot – your strengths and determination to win, your competency with vehicles of all kinds and your phenomenal ability to make the most of any situation. That is why I wanted you with us. I wasn't even aware that you had met up with LordRex before."

LordRex – Weihan's nickname in the TinyWarz Battle Group. That was the first time Ronny had heard of it – and she connected the name with the reports she had heard about on Earth. From what she had heard, he was a decorated commander who looked after the people under him. A lot of people had come up and publicly spoken about his ability – heartakilla, whistles384, Sentran and others. She had connected the dots after seeing a picture of LordRex on the UNN – the Universal News Network. She had felt her heart fill with joy at seeing Weihan again – even if it was only a still picture. Then, Mack had whacked Tyzonne with a seat cushion – starting another furniture war. She smiled briefly at the memories, before noticing that she was yet to reply.

"It's good that Weihan – I mean, LordRex – trusts me with so much power. I'm not a leader, but I'll try to be one. It's a good thing we have the techs here to handle to repairs."

Frizz froze. He knew that the TW techs (as they were known) had just left Hadaes due to an emergency situation. He cleared his electronic throat and spoke. If LR trusted Ronny, then he could trust her as well.

"Veronica, do not worry about your leadership abilities. LordRex has become a fine leader and strategist through his time here with us. He has come up from nothing to become a trusted friend, just as you will. The technicians have temporarily left the planet, due to a bandit uprising on Konu. From the reports, it's becoming quite the battlefield down there."

Ronny swallowed quietly. As she did so, her mind flashed back to the events of the previous night – but she stopped the memories before they could overwhelm her mind. She missed Weihan so much – she missed his caress, his kiss, his voice and the way she felt when he was with her. She knew that the loss of the techs – no matter how temporary – could mean disaster if the Mekas and vehicles were too badly damaged. She could fix them herself, but it would take time – too much time if they were constantly attacked. She wondered how long it would take for Andrew Hartford to send the Battlefleet Zords from Earth, but then dismissed that thought as silly. Even though Moltor, Flurious and Kamdor had been destroyed, the Zords were still needed to protect the Earth…until the next group of Power Rangers came along. Technically, she knew that the TinyWarz Rangers _were_ the next group of Power Rangers…but then again, they weren't. Weihan had told her once that all Rangers under the banner of the Ultra Crystal automatically became known as "Ultra Rangers" – no matter what they viewed themselves as. Smirking to herself, she replied to Frizz, honestly and truthfully.

"Thank You, Frizz. It's good to know what you wanted to get me here for. I'm also sorry that it took me so long to see you."

Frizz waved his eye in a "no" motion. He had figured out he could move his eye if he concentrated hard enough on it. He didn't know what Weihan had put into his tube, but the young Commander had said that it would magnify his brainwaves…or something like that. He supposed concentrating on movement was better than no movement at all.

"Don't be sorry. The arrival of Drakor took everyone by surprise. Everyone except LordRex. He knew it was coming. That's why he's spent years preparing for this moment. He's handpicked almost everyone – even you. He's very proud of you – I haven't seen him this happy since his first victory. Ah, that was when I still had my body – not that I miss it of course."

Ronny opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a familiar shrieking. It was the alert alarm. She sighed and looked at Frizz, but was silenced by his surprisingly warm gaze. He motioned toward the door with his eye – knowing she had a job to do. She nodded once and then bolted out the door – her mind reeling over what he had told her. Weihan had handpicked almost everyone…including her. She knew for a fact that he wouldn't have handpicked Simon due to his arrogance – but she never knew he was so proud of her. As she ran towards the Command Station, her thoughts turned back to Weihan and why he was proud of her. To her knowledge, she hadn't done much to make anyone be proud of her – jeopardising half the team with her competitiveness and her multiple captures by enemy forces weren't her best achievements. Even the debacle with Thor's Hammer had almost lead her to be married off…to Loki. She shuddered at the thought, but focused her mind onto the battle as she entered the Hangar. The screens showed no trace of Meka movement or monster sightings. Off to the side, she saw Kat and Simon looking at the immediate area on a mini-map. She joined them and pointed to an anomaly on the map – something that Simon had missed.

"What's this?"

Kat and Simon snapped to attention and looked at what Ronny had found. They saw an electronic representation of…something. It looked like a lone bandit – but if it was they should have seen an orange vehicle icon. The only thing they saw was a solid red square. Kat furrowed her brow, trying to make out what it was. Moving forward, she proceeded to type a command into the Station – allowing one of the external cameras to pick up the view. What they saw sent ice water through their veins.

At first glance, the figures seemed to be no more than heat shimmers rising off the rocky ground – but the supposed "heat shimmers" gained actual features. They were very similar to the Quantrons they had fought before – but they looked dangerous. Their bodies were a patchwork of metal limbs, swords, blades and blasters. Their heads were humanoid in shape and appearance – but they had no other features on them – apart from one organic eye. The way they moved made Ronny think of gladiators about to fight to the death. However, it was the two creatures in their midst which posed the biggest threat. One looked like a walking tree – with powerful legs and a head that looked as though it was a battering ram. It had no arms, but it had a gnarled and twisted face that was made up of wood knots. Its mouth looked skeletal – giving the first monster an eerie feel. The second monster was a whole lot scarier.

It was a literal mix of organic parts and machinery. A mixture of bee, spider, computer and something that resembled an X-ray of some sort. Its face was a nightmarish vision – one half was of a bee – complete with a proboscis; the other half resembled a mechanical spider – complete with fangs and organic eyes. Its antennae looked like old television aerials and its wings were strangely batlike. It had no real body to speak of – only the neck, which connected onto a seemingly organic computer monitor and keyboard. Out of the sides sprouted six arms – some were disproportionate to the others and others looked like they would fall off at any moment. In one of its arms, it carried what looked like a powerful hammer. On the wrist of another arm was a metallic wristband – which seemed to have no real purpose. Its legs were 100 percent mechanical – with no apparent organic parts. Suddenly, the upper left screen flared to life, revealing Weihan, who was in a hallway of some sort. He looked to be on the same planet Ronny had seen him on before – although now he had a companion with him that looked similar to the Great Sage Ninjor. He seemed troubled, but he addressed his Rangers with authority.

"Rangers, according to my readouts, the foot soldiers are made up of the same metal as the Quantrons. Your weapons should be able to take care of them. As for the monsters…I've never seen them before – so be careful. You can call me if things get out of hand. Good luck Rangers."

Ninjor stepped into view and spoke to them – his high voice filled with a joking – but serious – undertone.

"And may the Power protect you! OW!"

Ronny giggled as Weihan hit the warrior on the arm, rolling his eyes as he closed the transmission. She bit back her joy at seeing him again, focusing on what had to be done with some effort. She stepped back from the Command Station and willed her TW Tracker into her right palm. She felt a subtle shift in the air around her as both Simon and Kat did the same thing. She wrapped her fingers around the cool metal of the Morpher and unconsciously ran her thumb over the keypad, memorising the layout of the buttons. She felt the rush of Power and went through the motions.

"TINYWARZ, ACCELERATE!"

After the Post-Morph haze had cleared, Ronny found herself standing outside. She didn't know how she got there – just that the Power had enveloped her and taken her to the site of Battle. As she looked around, she was somewhat surprised to see both Simon and Kat were there with her. Her eyes flicked over the visor displays as they attempted to gather data on the forces in front of them. To her amazement, the Power seemed to have an answer ready for both of her questions. The question of why they were outside was due to the previously untapped teleportation powers – which all Ranger Powers had. She had only been teleported once before – when Will had seemingly switched sides – but that had been an uncomfortable experience. This one was a fluid transition, compared with the body ripping of the previous time. The second answer was that the Frankenstein robots in front of her were called "Patchers" – and they looked like patchwork dummies. She prepared herself for battle, but was surprised when the hybrid monster spoke in a hissing, electronic voice.

"Rangers, you came…now, face your death!"

As the Patchers surged forward, Simon rolled his eyes. Before Kat found him, he had been talking to his father again. Jason knew he was becoming a confidant for his son, but didn't know how long he could hide the secret from Weihan – or Tommy. Simon had reassured his father that he would not tell Weihan directly, but he had noticed Weihan looking at him strangely. As he struck out, he looked around to see what his team-mates were doing. Kat and Ronny were all right – they were easily smashing Patchers left and right. Simon ducked a sword swipe and swept out his left leg – sending the five drones around him crashing to the rocky floor. He cursed to himself as he saw that his sweep had left his right side open to an attack – one that came from the walking tree. The battering ram had lowered its "head" and charged at the Yellow Ranger, striking his armour and sending sparks flying. As Simon rolled along the ground, his visor display showed that he had taken 25 percent damage – something that the nanobots were trying to repair. He was about to charge in again, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He whirled around and came face to face – well, visor to visor – with Ronny. She had taken a few bad hits from the bee monster and had hung back – waiting for an opportunity to strike. So far, Kat hadn't taken any visible damage – although she was fast being surrounded by the Patchers around her. Ronny's voice was laced with worry, but it was directed at him.

"Simon – think you can get a clear shot at them?"

For a split second, Simon didn't know what she was talking about. His mind caught up fairly quickly and he tapped the side of his helmet – bringing up a set of eight crosshairs. Without any fancy yells, he called upon his War Blasters and aimed at the mass of metal. He waited until crosshairs had locked onto the creatures before firing. As before, yellow blasts of energy lanced out of the barrels and struck the Patchers dead on. The metallic robots seized up as one, before dropping in unison. Simon grinned under his helmet and snuck a quick glance at Ronny – adjusting his aim. The Red Ranger was going toe to toe with the insectoid beast – the monster's hammer deflecting most of the blows. The creature threw its head back and laughed – a high pitched buzzing sound. It spoke again – but instead of the electronic voice used previously, it was a fully alien tongue this time. Almost immediately, the Rangers' display's showed a translation.

"Cretins! You will fall before the might of The Ramrod and me – C.Bee.Exe!"

Ronny rolled her eyes. The monster names never got any better – but they sure did get more brutal. C.Bee.Exe –as it was apparently called – had already taken her arm armour down to 15 percent. The 'bots were working their hardest, but it was impossible to fix the holes that kept appearing. Sighing, she jumped into the air – wishing she had access to her Drive Defender – and savagely kicked the hybrid in the face. She backflipped away from the wounded monster and found herself surrounded by Patchers. She barely had time to blink as the eyes of one lit up – orange lasers blasting from them. The lasers caught her in the chest, throwing her backward onto her ass. Using what momentum she had, she somersaulted to her feet and growled. She was dimly aware of C.Bee.Exe being blasted by Simon's Blasters – but she didn't care about that just yet. She clenched her teeth and called upon her War Sword silently. In a flash, the red and yellow sword appeared. Wasting no time, she thrust the blade into the rocky soil and pressed the first button. As she expected, the ground rumbled and four plumes of fire shot up and out – incinerating the Patchers instantly. She swiftly pulled the blade out of the ground and surged forward – the blade of the Sword cleaving into the Patchers. She looked around for Kat – finally sighting her fighting The Ramrod and a small group of Patchers.

Kat was quickly finding out that arms were overrated. So far, The Ramrod had blocked almost all of her attacks with its oversized head. The Patchers surrounding her kept attacking her with a vengeance as well. She found it hard to keep alternating between offence and defence – but she had to. She felt the sweat run down her face and tried to blink it out of her eyes. She leapt backwards to avoid a Patcher's decapitating swing and then kicked out in pure desperation. To her utter amazement, her left foot glowed dark purple for a split second before ploughing into the chest of the metal warrior. The Patcher's eyes seemed to widen in surprise as it violently exploded – taking out three-quarters of the group with it. Kat stared at her foot – not noticing her arms lashing out to defend against the flurry of blows coming at her. She didn't know what just happened – and that freaked her out. She knew all the technical aspects of what their powers were capable of and how they worked. She wasn't sure what she just did – but she liked it! She concentrated again – this time allowing a faint purple-black sheen to come over her hands. Mind reeling, she thrust her hands forward – palms up – at the remaining Patchers. The effect was devastating.

An energy shockwave tore from her palms, striking against their torsos. The Patchers were flung backwards into The Ramrod – hitting its wooden body…and exploding. The Ramrod was forced back – shaking its head comically. She knew what had to be done then and there. She accessed her Powers and concentrated again, bringing up her War Wheel in a dark purple flash. Not missing a beat, she jumped up and flung the War Wheel at the monster. In mid-flight, the spinning metal disc transformed into pure energy and tore through the top half of The Ramrod's head. The monster seemed to blink once before toppling backward – unleashing a hail of spikes from one of its eyes. Kat tried to avoid all of the spikes, but there were just too many of them. Her suit sparked violently as the metallic weapons struck against it – even managing to destroy one of the energy dampeners. She was thrown backwards, striking Simon – causing him to crash to the ground in pain. Ronny watched the monster struggle to get up – using what was left of its head to raise itself from the ground. Almost immediately, it stumbled forward – Kat's War Wheel bursting from its torso like a chainsaw from Hell. Kat lifted her left arm up and caught the transformed disc – feeling the energy blades transmute back into metal.

Ronny had to act quickly – again. Simon and Kat were both down for the count, The Ramrod was recovering far quicker than she would've imagined possible and C.Bee.Exe was nowhere to be seen. She held out her War Sword and tapped into her genetic super-speed – racing toward The Ramrod. As she neared the wooden beast, she pressed the second button on the handle – feeling herself accelerate faster. Her mind was focused as she swung the Sword around to strike the monster with all of the Power, force and inertia she could muster. All she heard was a resounding sonic boom as the metal carved a furrow deep into the torso. It was a deep wound – and certainly it would have been fatal if the monster had any vital organs under its armour. Without looking to see if the monster would die immediately, she spun on her right foot and executed a flawless roundhouse to the same area where her blade had vacated. The Ramrod flipped back sloppily and seemed to breathe heavily. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see C.Bee.Exe hanging back, absentmindedly twirling its hammer – which had a word written on it. She slowly retreated to where the other Rangers were standing – closely looking at the word and trying to make it out. The more she focused her sight on it – the clearer it became, until her eyes widened. In some sort of red ink was the word "BAN" crudely inscribed.

Her eyes widened a fraction of an inch more as she saw The Ramrod get to its feet again. There was only one thing she could think of – to call Wei. She had already used her link to the others to pull out information from Kat's suit – particularly concerning her fireworks against the Patchers. She had a feeling that they were starting to peel back the layers of their Powers one by one. She quickly tapped into her mental link and sent a subspace transmission to Weihan – even if he was on Eltare, he could help them. Plus, she wanted to see him again…even though they had just spoken to each other a short while ago. As the transmission was picked up, she was aware of Kat and Simon running forward – to attack The Ramrod. Her tired eyes lit up as she saw Weihan's face, noticing that he looked a bit flustered over something. She opened her mouth, but closed it to think over what she was going to say. Her voice sounded hoarse – but she chalked it up to over-use of her super-speed.

"Wei, I'm sorry to bother you again. The Patchers are destroyed, but the monsters are a pain in the butt!"

She saw amusement and a longing come into his eyes at that – and was reminded yet again of the previous night's…activities. They had done everything they could think of – except a few things they had labelled as "disgusting". To her surprise, delight and supreme pleasure – the last thing they had tried wasn't on that list. She smirked to herself and shot Weihan a playful glare – noticing the figure behind him. Her mind clicked on the name…Ninjor – the master who had created the Power Coins and the Ultra Crystals. Suddenly, information flashed up on her visor. Her eyes quickly skimmed through the information – but she needn't have bothered. The information was being ingrained into her mind – the slight tingling sensation bringing her back into reality. Her eyes snapped up to the battle in front of her – just as Kat was attempting to hack off one of its legs. Her fingers twitched imperceptibly as she began sending her own data to Weihan – hopeful it would reach him. She smiled broadly and opened her mouth.

"Thanks, love. I've just sent you some interesting data from Kat just then. She put on quite the light show. Hope to hear from you soon about it! Ronny out."

She closed the transmission, just as Simon and Kat jumped back to her side. Simon was breathing heavily – totally winded. He never knew something without arms could fight with total effectiveness, but he guessed he was out of practice. He cringed behind his helmet. If his father found out he was out of practice, he would have his head served on a silver platter. He was aware of Ronny saying something – and had to focus through the pain to hear it.

"…and we can combine our weapons. That should do the trick."

Kat grinned happily. From what she had read in the Ranger History logs, the last team to have a combination weapon had been the Dino Thunder team with their Z-Rex Blaster. She didn't know what would happen to the other monster – but if they could at least destroy one then she would be an integrated Power Ranger. She nodded her head and tightened her grip on her War Wheel. She let her mind go blank – to ease the information flow – Simon following suit. In freaky unison, they stepped forward together and raised their weapons into the air. Simon went first, flinging both War Blasters into the air without any flourish. Kat went next, her War Wheel locking into place onto the Blasters with a muted Yellow-Black flash. Ronny leapt up and slammed her War Sword on top of the War Wheel – completing the amalgamation weapon. As she fell toward the ground, she let go of her Sword and grasped the handles of the War Blasters – her fingers hooking over the triggers in readiness. As one, they shouted out the name of the cannon in their hands.

"WAR CANNON!"

The Ramrod blinked once and shook its head one final time. Without wasting any more breath, Ronny pulled the two triggers, sending out a brilliant energy sphere coloured red, black, orange and yellow. The energy ball hurtled toward The Ramrod, smashing into it with explosive force. The walking battering ram's knees buckled and it slowly fell backward, exploding in a fiery display of energy and wood. To the side, C.Bee.Exe watched the demise of its companion with a blank stare. It knew what had to be done now. Lifting up its Banhammer, it struck the ground – causing the victorious Rangers to fall over in shock. So, they _had_ forgotten about it, but it was soon to change. It lifted up the metal wristband and tapped the button on it.

Simon was the first to recover, using his War Blasters as leverage. They had separated the War Cannon as soon as the monster had exploded – something about too much kinetic and morphological energy wreaking havoc with the circuits – and had been celebrating their victory. Now, it seemed that they were too early in their revelry. He helped Kat to her feet, while Ronny stood up from her crouch. They didn't know what the monster was doing – but it looked bad. They saw it raise one of its arms up and tap something on a metal band. The creature was covered with a green and gold energy and to the rookie's amazement…grew.

Ronny felt her jaw drop as the monster towered over them. One thought was running in her mind.

Mekas weren't going to cut it,

TBC…


	14. Power Surprises

Chapter 14 – Power Surprises

Ronny gulped as C.Bee.Exe stomped toward them. The monster was leering at them – or it was something close to a leer anyway. She pursed her lips and blew out, wondering what to do. She knew that they could easily teleport inside and bring out the vehicles, but what would the monster do in the meantime? A slight whirring sound brought her out of her thoughts, her gaze zeroing in on one of the laser turrets that dotted the perimeter of the base. To her shock, she realised that the battle hadn't even progressed out of the quadrant – they were still in range of the turrets! C.Bee.Exe seemed to notice the movement of the turrets as well and turned towards the rotating turret – lifting the Banhammer. She watched as the monster threw it at the turret – just as it fired with deadly accuracy. To her amazement, the hammer swerved in mid-air – not losing any speed – and crashed into the turret. The Rangers were knocked off their feet as the entire turret exploded – the firing crew escaping just in time.

Simon stared in shock. He had just seen the unthinkable – a monster growing to a giant size and totally decimating a defensive turret…all in the space of two minutes. Of course, his father had told him monsters could grow to giant sizes – but not on their own. He didn't know what to expect next – Ronny was thinking about something and Kat was staring openly at the huge monster. He wanted to fire his War Blasters – or even the War Cannon – at the monster, but he didn't know if it would have any effect or not. Probably not – but it would make them more of a target than the turrets. As he thought, he was dimly aware of several of the remaining turrets firing at the monster. Lasers, missiles and shrapnel filled the air – striking the monster and seemingly weakening it. A bellow of rage and pain brought the Rangers out of their trance – just in time to see a cluster of energy beams shoot out from the spider half of its face. Ronny's mind flashed her back to the previous day's events – where she had heard Weihan almost say "Zords"…but those vehicles didn't look like conventional Zords.

She had to try something. She winced under her helmet as she saw the beams of destruction totally destroy the bases defence network. At the destruction of the turrets, the remaining Tiny Warriors would come out in their Mekas and vehicles…and they would get slaughtered. Even if it didn't work – she had to try, but she didn't know what to call them. Mekazords? War Zords? Suddenly – if sensing her confusion – the Power provided a name for her, one that she embraced wholeheartedly. As Simon and Kat stared at the destruction the monster was wreaking, she thrust her right arm up into the air and shouted with all of her might.

"I NEED TINYZORD POWER, NOW!"

A split second after her cry's echo faded, the ground quaked violently. In a flash of red light, the Katana Meka she had piloted the day before appeared. To her surprise, it seemed to be fully repaired from the battle with the Fearcats' robot. The colouring was different as well – instead of the usual drab grey and green, it was a vibrant red with small bands of yellow and orange. She crouched down and leapt up toward the Zord – the on-board teleportation systems beaming her up instantly. She settled down into her seat and placed her hands on the controls. She moved the lever up, sending her Zord racing towards the hybrid mutation. As soon as she was in range, she spun the steering wheel to the left sharply – slashing with the energy blades on the arms. Howling with pain, the monster went down hard. She moved the Zord back and readied the Crusader. As she tapped the buttons to load the ballistic weapon, she clicked on her helmet communication system.

"Hey guys, a little help here?"

Simon and Kat both snapped out of their awe and nodded to each other. As they raised their arms to the sky, they were aware of Ronny's Crusader Longgun firing at the monster – who had retrieved its Banhammer. They cried out to the air and summoned their Zords.

"WE NEED TINYZORD POWER, NOW!"

In two, distinct flashes of colour-coded light, the two remaining TinyZords appeared. To both Kat and Simon they appeared fully intact and gleamed brightly in their colours – the Black and Green Leopard and the Yellow and White Cobra. Kat and Simon exchanged a quick glace, before leaping up to their respective cockpits. Kat gunned the engine, moving the Leopard forward – just as C.Bee.Exe swung the Banhammer in a wide arc – striking Ronny's Zord in its chestplate. Inside her cockpit, Ronny scrambled for the controls as the Zord staggered back. A flashing light caught her attention – and she glanced at it, paling under her helmet. She flicked a button on her controls – opening up the Zord communication link.

"Guys, I have a major hull breach in my Zord. I'm down to 10 percent shields. I can hit and run, but until I get this breach fixed…"

She let the sentence trail off, praying that Simon and Kat knew what was happening. She hoped they did – the damage to her Zord was not to be sneezed at. She could see thick ripples of purple light as the shield generators attempted to regenerate the protection around the metal shell. From her vantage point, she saw Kat's Zord surge forward – main cannon blazing. The thick barrel met the legs of the monster – ramming into them hard. The secondary guns fired into the legs as well – their deadly payload shredding the monster's leg armour. C.Bee.Exe screeched in pain and staggered back – into the range of Simon. Simon grinned under his helmet and flicked a switch on his command wheel – allowing the Aimed Shot command to give him a better chance. Slowly, he aimed the turret upwards until it was directly in the middle of the flailing monster's back. A stream of yellow energy lanced out, impacting against the mutation's back – melting the flesh. The Yellow Ranger's Zord skidded backward just in time as the Banhammer impacted the ground near it – missing by a few millimetres. From then, it was the start of a strange tug-of-war – with C.Bee.Exe in the middle. Kat would either crash in against the legs or fire at a safe distance away, while Simon would use whatever forward momentum he had to make the creature stumble – or continue destroying its back. For her part, Ronny kept firing off potshots with the Crusader – whenever the opportunity presented itself. Her shields were still painfully slow, but all of a sudden her Meka was covered in a light orange glow. When the light faded, a quick check of the shields showed a 15 percent increase. Ronny smiled, knowing that Weihan was looking out for them and stepped back into the fight.

The humanoid Zord lunged forwards, energy blades deployed. The monster looked up, just as the left blade sunk deep into its face – melting half of the spider eyes. As the blade was torn free, the creature hissed in rage and lashed out with two arms – the misshapen fists striking the shields hard. Ronny gulped and did a quick shield diagnostic. Her eyes widened as she took in the readout – she had taken 2 less damage than before. The screeching of metal caused her to look up – just in time to see Kat's Leopard take a crushing blow from the Banhammer. As the hammer came off the Zord, Kat's voice drifted weakly over the communications link.

"Ow, that hurt…and this battle isn't going anywhere. We're doing damage to it – but not as much as we'd like."

From his vantage point inside the Cobra, Simon agreed silently. He jerked the steering wheel quickly to avoid a barrage of lasers and fired his ballistic cannon at the beast. The blast seemed to do some damage – but not as much as he'd hoped. Thinking quickly, his eyes temporarily left the view screen to peer closely at the command buttons on his steering wheel. His eyes skimmed over the images, looking up periodically to fire at the creature. He could hear the groans of protest from the gears as they rapidly spun under the pressure. Reaching out with his thumb blindly, he pressed one of the buttons and prayed it was the right one. Immediately, his view screen flashed green and a grid appeared – showing the monster's weak spots. His eyes darted from spot to spot until he found the weakest spot – which happened to be the melted flesh on its back. He slowly breathed in and pressed the trigger. He felt the machine buck and tremble slightly as the weapons fired. He swallowed as they shot towards C.Bee.Exe's lower back – impacting against the tender flesh. Simon peeled backwards as the smoke cleared. To his utter amazement, the monster hadn't even flinched one bit as the shots impacted. He flicked on his communications link – avoiding a deadly stomp.

"Um…we're getting our asses handed to us here! Ronny – what's your status?"

From inside her Katana, Ronny narrowed her eyes at the monster. Her shields were still recovering slowly, but her finger was kept firmly on the trigger of the Crusader. Already, she was forced to use the energy blades more often than she would have liked. A flash of orange alerted her to the fact that Weihan was still looking out for her – keeping her shields up. Too soon, she heard the dull whine from the Crusader – its ammunition had been totally exhausted. She shook her head and powered up the energy blades, feeling the humanoid machine's engine pulse faster and faster. She raced toward the monster and blindly struck out with both blades. One of the blades severed the lower four arms – while the other blade missed the monster entirely. Out of sheer desperation, Ronny pivoted the machine and lashed out with its left leg – kicking the monster in the gut. She held her ground as the cockpit shuddered violently, the machine not being designed to kick monsters. She took in a deep breath and then rammed the dazed creature with the barrel of the Crusader. The long cylinder sunk deep into its flesh, causing the hybrid to shriek in real pain. She wrenched the barrel out and watched in morbid fascination as bright blue blood poured out of the wound. The hybrid creature hung back and tried to take care of its wounds with its remaining arms. She was aware of Kat and Simon's Zords rolling near to her own. Her voice spoke out – as tired and frustrated as she was, she was still the leader.

"I'm out of ammo for the Crusader. There is nothing more I can do. Kat, Simon – what have you got left?"

Kat's voice floated across the link. She had been out of the fight since she was hit with the Banhammer. She had to hand it to Weihan and the TW Ranger techs – they knew what they were doing when they constructed the Zords. Her voice was rough and hoarse, due to the wisps of smoke that still drifted around her cockpit.

"I'm down to only three shells on both weapons. The repair nanobots are doing a good job, but I don't know how long I'll last. Simon?"

Simon cracked his neck and sighed. He was feeling the pressure on his shoulders from the weight of the helmet – something that he would have to get used to in the long run. He checked his weapon displays and grimaced. His voice was grim.

"My laser turret is fine, but my ballistic gun is totally depleted. I can't do any hit and run attacks with my laser turret – even from close range it might miss. I'm totally out of suggestions."

Ronny sighed in frustration. She didn't know what Weihan wanted her to do. He was supposed to be the leader – even though she was the Red Ranger, she didn't know what to do! Her eyes fell on the Big Red Button and she briefly thought of pushing it – before shaking her head. She didn't know what the button did and if she pressed it…well, it could be a self destruct button. Her eyes widened as she found her suggestion – to ask Wei. The subspace communication link was still there – so it would be easy to ask him. Without thinking of the consequences, she spoke into the link.

"Weihan – we've got a problem. We're up against a giant monster and we've exhausted all options. What can I do?"

There was a beat of silence – and Ronny feared that she hadn't been heard. Then, Weihan's face filled half the view screen. He was in his TW Battle Commander uniform and looked to be in a chamber of some sort. At the edge of the screen, she could see a long table and something that looked like Frizz's tube in the middle of it. Instead of housing a brain, this tube was occupied by a beautiful brunette woman –who had her face hidden by a veil. Weihan looked slightly nervous, yet determined – almost as if he knew what was happening. He took in a deep breath before closing his eyes in something almost like resignation. He nodded once and opened his eyes again. He took in a deep breath and spoke in a loud and clear voice.

"Push the Red Button. For Simon and Kat tell them to pull their colour coded levers. Then – you will know what to do. The High Council and I will be keeping track of your battle. Be careful. Be safe."

The transmission winked out and Ronny felt relief sweep through her. Once again, Weihan had bailed them out of an impossible situation. She knew he was trying to let her stand on her own, but she didn't really have the experience she needed. She relayed the information to Simon and Kat and reached out for the button. As she did, her brain buzzed as new information poured into it – telling her everything she needed to know about what the button did. She felt a smile grow onto her face as she realised what was about to happen. She took in a deep breath and pressed the button – unconsciously calling out a command as she did.

"TINYWARZ MEGAZORD – POWER UP!"

The controls went slack almost immediately as the Power surged through the Zords – powering them up in readiness for the transformation. From her vantage point, she saw the Leopard and Cobra Zords levitate up – the cockpit and turret detaching from the treads. She could hear the gasps of confusion from both Simon and Kat as they struggled to piece together what was going on. Of course, Ronny knew how to manually assemble a Megazord – she just never knew what to do for automatic assembly. She watched in fascination as the Leopard's turret control mechanism detached from the turret assembly and transformed into a three-pronged helmet. Ronny was struck by its familiarity with another similar helmet from stories Weihan had shared with her. She shrugged it off as strange – continuing to watch the transformation.

Ronny's eyes widened as she saw the barrels of the guns retract into themselves – only leaving a small turret behind. She continued to watch – even as she felt her Katana Zord jump into the air. Both turret assemblies then extended themselves out until they were almost double their usual length. Mechanical fists swung out from the front of the turret assemblies, while the treads underwent a more simplistic change. Both sets of treads extended and transformed into the feet and legs – while still retaining the familiar shape of tank treads. From the viewpoint on Kat, the Katana's transformation was breathtaking. The arms detached from the main body and seemingly vanished into thin air. The Crusader turret and the legs both retracted into the main body, while the head and main cockpit detached from the body. The TW Ranger symbol on the chest of the Katana seemed to glow and spin at the same time – allowing a heavy set of armour to materialise on the Meka. Kat watched the transformation with awe – while she was still in the main cockpit of her Leopard, she was still relatively stable. Looking out her view screen, she could see the arms and legs approaching their docking areas on the torso. She could even see C.Bee.Exe staring at the transformation that was happening – the monster's remaining eyes bulging in shock.

Underneath her, the floor shuddered as the arms docked with the main body. Another shudder told her that the legs had docked as well. She felt a familiar tingle ash over her and she allowed herself to be caught up in the teleportation beam. When the purple and black sparkles cleared from her vision, Kat saw that she – along with Ronny and Simon – were in a V shaped cockpit. Ronny was seated in the middle, with Simon to her left and Kat on her right. In front of her was her Control Driver and a few screens showing engine temperatures, weapon displays and gyro percentages. Sneaking a glance over at Simon's monitors, she saw that he was in charge of looking at the shield rechargers and the energy reserves. Craning her head to look at Ronny's monitors, she saw that she had only one monitor – and it showed an external view of the Megazord. Kat gasped inwardly at the sight of the TinyWarz Megazord on the monitor – it looked ready to take on the world. The colour scheme looked a bit strange – red, black, yellow and orange – but it all seemed to fit together nicely. The helmet strongly reminded her of a criminal overlord on Earth…someone in New York that had been defeated a few times. Shredder? Slicer? She didn't know who it was – but the head and helmet of the Megazord resembled him. She was brought back to reality at the sound of Ronny's voice.

"All right. We should be pretty much invulnerable for this battle – so this will be an easy fight. the next battle will be tougher. I'll brief you later. Let's see what we can do."

The humanoid machine stomped toward the monster with surprising speed. In a flash, it drew back its Leopard arm and punched C.Bee.Exe under its "jaw". The insectoid creature was sent back reeling from the force – before raising the Banhammer for a strike. Kat kept her eyes on the temperature of the main engine. She had to hope that the Neo-Parallel engines could keep the Zord working to perfection. She braced herself for the impact – but what she felt was just a minor tremor under her feet. Under her helmet, Ronny's mouth quirked up into a small smile. Just as she thought – the Banhammer had impacted on the thick magical shields surrounding the Megazord. She kept a firm grip on her steering wheel and took in a deep breath.

"COBRA PULSE!"

The Cobra Tank arm of the TinyWarz Megazord wound up strongly. C.Bee.Exe didn't know what was happening – only that it needed to move…but it was too slow. A yellow energy sheen covered the Megazord's fist as it rocketed toward the chest of the mutant. The blow struck home – the powered fist smashing against the monitor chestplate – destroying it. As the Zord withdrew its fist, Ronny pressed the attack.

"TRI BLAST!"

The Leopard arm drew back again – this time changing shape to become a three barrelled blaster. In appearance, it was similar to the Delta Megazord – but much more dextrous. As the arm shot forward, the barrels rotated and a high powered stream of ballistic shrapnel poured out. The shrapnel struck everywhere on the monster – wounding it even more. As the Leopard changed back into a fist, Ronny looked over at Kat.

"Kat, what do we have in terms of a sword? Do we have something that we can use to defeat this sucker quickly?"

Kat skimmed over the weapon screens, before finding what looked like a suitable weapon. It looked similar to Ronny's War Sword, but it was much bigger. Surprisingly, it looked like the two blades of the Katana Zord had been fused together – but she guessed it was the design. She relayed the information to Simon, who – in turn – relayed it back to Ronny. In truth, Ronny wanted to end the battle as quickly as she could. She had a nagging feeling in her gut that something was happening with Weihan. She knew that if anything did happen, he was with a few high powered fighters and mages – and he could also fight as well. She tried to shake off the feeling, but something told her that he was in big trouble. As she contemplated using the sword or not, she swore she could hear Weihan's voice…calling out to her.

"_Ronny – be safe"_

She knew she wasn't psychic in any way – but that had felt very real. She pushed the feeling of dread back and concentrated on the end of the fight. Her hands gripped the Control Driver wheel tighter and she summoned their main weapon – with all three of their voices shouting out in eerie unison.

"POWER SABRE!"

In a crackle of lightning, the massive sabre appeared in the Megazord's hands. It radiated power and strength – causing the bee monster to cringe in fear. Ronny didn't ant to waste any more time on the monster than necessary – and powered up the sabre. From the "V", flames shot out to engulf the Sabre – turning it into a deadly weapon. As one, they breathed in and called upon the final attack – one that would destroy the menace in front of them.

"BURNING DRIVE!"

Immediately, the compass projected a holographic image of itself outward. The double ended needle spun around rapidly – collecting the kinetic energy needed for the deadly blows. The Megazord seemed to think for a moment, before slashing the Sabre twice diagonally – creating the flaming "V" over the Overdrive Compass. C.Bee.Exe only had time for one piercing scream as the energy slashed into it, breaking through all outward defences and destroying its core essence. Defeated, the monster slumped back – exploding in a massive fireball. As the Megazord lowered the Sabre, all occupants inside it sighed in relief. They had had their first real battle – and experienced their first Megazord Battle…all in the space of a few hours. It seemed unreal.

As they turned the Megazord around, Weihan's face appeared on the monitors. He looked proud and was beaming broadly – although worry shone in his eyes. He was in the same room as before and spoke happily.

"Guys, you have survived your first battle. I am proud to officially grant you the title of Power Rangers. The High Council would also like to convey their pride."

Images of various people flashed on the screen one by one. Underneath the faces was a plaque with their names on it – Ninjor, Zedd, Dimitria, Dulcea, Rita, Divatox and Master Leiv. Something seemed…off to Ronny – like it wasn't a live event, rather scripted and recorded. She narrowed her eyes as the transmission broke off to static – but was soon replaced by a more horrifying image. The Main Chamber was aflame, the main desk was still intact – but everyone who could was either fighting or casting spells. Ronny's breath hitched as she saw Patchers running amok – destroying everything they could. The camera angle skewed suddenly and they were treated to an up close shot of the two Fearcats battling Ninjor and Zedd. Weihan's voice floated over the loudspeakers – he sounded hurt, but determined.

"Guys! Eltare is under attack! Do not, I repeat – do NOT come here! Use the time for training and repairs! Don't worry about me!"

The images skewed again – showing a strange creature with an immobile jaw, three eyes and an exposed brain, before focusing on Weihan. He looked like death warmed over – sweat matted his hair down and his eyes were everywhere. He focused on Ronny and smiled once – a thin, forced smile that didn't reach his eyes. He ducked as a Patcher flew at his head and Ronny heard a muffled apology off screen. He spoke once again in a steady voice thick with emotion.

"Drakor is here. He is leading this attack. Try to find out where their base is located. Use the vehicles in garage O1. I _will_ see you all again. Ronny, I love you."

With that, the transmission winked out. Kat placed a hand on Ronny's shoulder – the Red Ranger was clearly shook up. Simon spoke up – his words filling the two females with hope.

"He'll be all right. He's the Orange Ranger"

TBC…


	15. The Council: Part 1

Chapter 14 – The Council

Part One: Enemy Named

As the shuttle took off, Weihan found his mind drifting to the previous nights…activities. He couldn't fight the smile that formed on his face as he remembered making love to Ronny. They had moved from the couch to the bed fairly quickly – after bumping into a few walls and tables. There, they had cemented their commitment and love to each other with a night of tender passion. While she had been very shy at the start, he had been patient with her – slowly taking things step by step…until the pressure had been too much for them to take. They had finally fallen asleep – three hours before he was due to wake up – after literally wearing each other out. When they finally did wake up, they wished each other good morning with slow and passionate lovemaking. They had finally gotten dressed and out of his quarters – just in time for him to make the shuttle. So far, there was another thirty minutes to go. It never ceased to amaze him – how close the two solar systems were to each other. The three planets of the Council – Eltare, Inquiris and Triforia – were extremely close to what the TW Battle Group had dubbed "Sol X". He supposed the only reason why the Sha'Kahr hadn't "crossed over" was that they didn't want to face the wrath of the Eltarean High Council. Even though only four of the seven members could fight, it would be a fierce battle – given the circumstances.

As he sat back in his seat, he fingered the Morpher on his wrist. It was hard to imagine that this was all the protection that he had – apart from his other powers. He hadn't even seen what his armour would be like – though he knew he could customise it if he didn't like it. He absentmindedly tapped his Morpher and stifled a yelp as he heard the voice of seanymemory on the other end.

"Hey Boss, what's happening? You want a progress report on the Zord modifications?"

Weihan replied in the affirmative, but only listened with half an ear as the technician rattled on. He knew that the Zords were combat ready – the fight with the Fearcats' robot had proved that – and they could be handled with skill. Unfortunately, the Zords had to be stored in the Hangar Bay – not in subspace. That was a real disadvantage to them, purely due to the fact that the Power could not auto-repair any damage sustained in the heat of battle. Fortunately, the Zord technicians they had drafted were the best of the best at repairing anything. Unfortunately – Zords and Megazords didn't fall under the umbrella of "anything"…just yet. He sighed and ducked his head in resignation. If they didn't improve their skills, he would have to pay to get Tommy and Justin to help…let alone pay for Kim as well. Turning to Billy wouldn't be any much help – the constant anti-aging treatments on Aquitar had left him incapable of leaving the planet for an extended period of time. If worst came to the worst, he could always ask Zedd to come back to help…but he didn't quite trust the former dictator just yet. He was shaken out of his mental world by the technician's last words.

"…and Ronny's gone to meet Frizz. Just saw her leave with Kat."

Weihan sat up straight in his seat, his eyes filling with mirth. He choked back laughter, taking three tries to say what he wanted to …without bursting out into hysterical laughter.

"Ronny's meeting with Frizz? Did anyone tell her about his…appearance?"

A burst of laughter told him all he needed to know, before the transmission clicked off. He knew that Frizz's appearance would be a shock, but he knew Ronny could handle it. Well, as well as anyone confronted with a brain in a jar would. It had been his idea to preserve Frizz's brain in a Zordon-like tube – the only problem was that without a steady supply of oxygen and blood, his brain wouldn't survive for long. Weihan had debated long and hard on how to solve the problem – but happened on the solution after many sleepless nights. He had constructed the tube first – made out of the same type of crystal as both the tubes of Zordon and Dimitria – then filled it with a mixture of oxygen rich blood cells and the right nutrients needed for the brain to survive. It had been a bit of a problem to take out Frizz's brain from his skull – eyes and all. One of the eyes had been disconnected from the optic nerve – rendering it unusable for the Supreme Commander to use. Frizz had waved it aside – he had said that having one eye was better than having no eyes at all. He had also turned down a suggestion of having a hologram of his head projected outward.

Frizz's office then had to be redesigned – but Weihan wasn't the one who did it, thankfully. It was over remarkably quickly – once they had worked out the Frizz had a 360 degree range of vision. The installation of the voice synthesiser was also a relatively painless exercise – although it had meant finding out a way to waterproof every single component…until Weihan had suggested it be installed at the base of the tube. He had to run from the technicians for a week before they calmed down. He was jolted from his thoughts as the shuttle landed on a hard surface. He looked out the windows – enthralled by what he saw. Gleaming buildings made entirely out of white crystal and stone stood everywhere. Above him, cylindrical transports glided about peacefully. As he gazed around him, the shuttle taxied to the waiting passenger dock. He stood up and walked to the door, waiting for it to iris open. When it did, he was hit in the face with a blast of warm, sweet scented air.

He was on Eltare.

He walked through the passenger dock – fully aware of the stares he was receiving. Of course, that was normal – he was hailed as a hero here. He tried his best not to respond to them – but every now and then, he would look in around him and smile. He was excited to be back on Eltare, but he quickly remembered why he was there as he saw a figure in the distance. He had changed since Weihan had last saw him – his restrictive armour had been slimmed and toned down somewhat. For all the world, it looked like he was wearing Ranger armour, but he knew he wasn't. the armour was still the same colour though – still royal blue with an "N" encased in a golden medallion on his chest. He still had a straight-edged katana strapped to his back as well as his blue armoured gauntlets. The only difference was that he no longer wore his expressionless helmet, but carried it under his right arm. His face was hawk-like with a slightly upturned nose and piercing yellow eyes. He walked towards Weihan, with a friendly smile on his face – one that Weihan returned wholeheartedly, his voice expressing his delight.

"Ninjor!"

The Ninja warrior smiled broadly and they clasped forearms in the Universal gesture of greeting. Ninjor took a moment to look over his student. He had filled out since their last meeting and he looked to be a fine Ranger and Leader. He took careful note of the way the Asian slightly winced whenever he moved his head too fast – almost as if he had a head injury in the last 24 hours. Weihan noticed his curious stare, but waved it off – as he wasn't too keen to relive that incident just yet. They started walking to the direction of the High Council Building, which was only a short distance away. Suddenly, Weihan spoke up in a pensive tone that caused Ninjor to frown.

"Something's happened. Drakor has somehow brought back Dryken. I swear I destroyed him for good, but he's back somehow."

Ninjor slowed his step. He – like the rest of the High Council – was aware of Drakor's emergence. Weihan had contacted them after he had chosen his Rangers – putting the Council on red alert. Dimitria had even gone so far as to contact Tommy Oliver on Earth – but had found out he knew all about what was going on. Strangely enough, so had Jason Scott – someone with no apparent ties to the TW Ranger project. Of course, Rita – or Mystic Mother as she was now called – knew about it – and she warned the Council that Drakor would strike at them one day. She had also told them of the Silver Morpher, the power it held and its apparent invulnerability. Weihan had kept the Council up to date with his findings – his last report had just been the day before – and had told them of a dire threat…but there had been no mention of Dryken. Ninjor sighed softly to himself. It seemed that his protégé still bottled information inside himself. He turned to the Ranger next to him and spoke, his voice low.

"Weihan, do not worry about it. We will discuss that later – not now. Now, look up ahead, for we are nearing the High Council Chambers!"

Weihan forced back his thoughts, looked up and bit back the tears that suddenly welled up in his eyes at the sight. The Hight Council Chambers were designed exactly like the Command Centre had been. The same Command Centre that he had seen destroyed at the hands of the then-evil Divatox. From its curved, slanting walls to the cylinder in the centre – it was the Command Centre he had grown up in. The designs on the outside were eerily reminiscent of the ruins on Phaedos, Aquitar and Edenoi. The only difference was the archway in the middle of the cylinder. Humanoids and aliens of all shape, size and description entered and exited the Chambers – either talking excitedly or staring at the outside designs. As he walked closer, Weihan felt the same buzzing in his head – this time it was stronger. He stopped and closed his eyes in pain. This time, the words were clearer, although some words were still lost.

"You need to come quickly! I am on Eltare, fighting the final battle. The…final Past Battle! Drakor is here!"

He shook his head slightly, trying to dislodge the familiar voice. He was dimly aware of Ninjor asking him what was going on. Unconsciously, he activated his latent telepathic power – and tried to communicate with whoever was sending him the message. All he got was mental static. Whoever it was, it seemed, had only enough mental concentration and power for a one-way message – or was locked in an Astral battle. He had a very good idea of who it was, but he needed to talk to the Council about it first. Luckily, one of the members was poking him in the side – hard. He closed his eyes briefly – willing away his cloudy vision – and then focused on Ninjor. His voice was trembling slightly as he spoke.

"I think I know what just happened, but I'm not sure of it. I think it was a…mental distress call or something. Something about the final "Past Battle", I think."

Ninjor shook his head in disbelief, but held onto his elbow – guiding him inside the High Council Chambers. Weihan's eyes widened as he drank in the insides. The walls were different colours with different symbols etched into them. Everywhere he looked were tributes to the various Rangers across time and space. On one wall was the image of a green Dragon, on another was the dog's head badge of SPD and on the door leading into the Main Chamber was his Utahraptor symbol. Even the floor was highly detailed with images of Ranger helmets. It was very disconcerting to Weihan – he felt as if he was stepping on the faces of his friends and predecessors. So engrossed with his surroundings was he, that he didn't hear his Morpher bleep out a muted tone. Ninjor heard it, though and nudged Weihan, forcing him to tear his eyes away from the Ranger mural on the ceiling. The Orange Ranger nodded mutely to Ninjor and brought up his left wrist, tapping a few buttons. Immediately, the voice of the chief strategist – DrMordecai sprang forth, the deep voice holding just a slight trace of fear.

"LR, we got a huge problem comin' up. It involves the new kids. I'm beamin' you the map data now. Frizz has also detected half a dozen 'portation beams leavin' this rock. All of the techs have gone off the base due to some major battle on Konu. Right, transfer's done. I gotta tell you, it looks nasty."

The transmission clicked off, just as the holo-map sprang to life. On it, Weihan could see the red rocks of Hadaes, the black and gold ore deposits, the strange purple buildings of the Sha'Kahr and their own base. He saw Ninjor raise an eyebrow as he saw the fortified base, prompting Weihan to stifle a laugh. He knew that the base seemed over-fortified with 70 percent Heavy Turrets, but it served an effective deterrent against some of the…rogue factions and the bandits. He could see salvagers come out from one of the garages, racing to scoop up the wrecks of various Mekas – for ore, fuel or weapons. His heart suddenly leapt in his throat as he saw the metallic patchwork soldiers and the two monsters. He knew this was Drakor's first attempt at destroying the Rangers – once their Commander had left. He hit various keys as he scrolled through the large amount of information that he was receiving from the "Patchers". He smiled to himself. He didn't know where the name had come from, but it seemed apt. His smile turned into a frown as he saw what the chemical analysis had come back with.

He swore out loud, not noticing the curious and shocked glances, and then patched himself into the Command Station. At first, he saw nothing but static – making him fear the worst, but the static cleared to show his three Rangers. He was aware of Ninjor looking at the figures on the screen, but he didn't acknowledge him. Instead, he spoke in a commanding, but troubled voice, his eyes looking into Ronny's.

"Rangers, according to my readouts, the foot soldiers are made up of the same metal as the Quantrons. Your weapons should be able to take care of them. As for the monsters…I've never seen them before – so be careful. You can call me if things get out of hand. Good luck Rangers."

Ninjor stepped into their view and spoke to them. He knew he would be hit for this, but it seemed like a good thing to say – some encouragement for the new Rangers on the block. He just hoped he was choosing the right spot to defend against Weihan's blow.

"And may the Power protect you! OW!"

The blow struck home on his upper arm – not his left side, where he had his arm. Weihan rolled his eyes at Ronny's giggle and cut off the communication link, glaring at Ninjor. The ancient warrior rubbed the sore spot gingerly. He shrugged his shoulders and smiled sheepishly – wondering what else Weihan would say to him. Not that he couldn't "morph" and hold his own, he didn't want to do it within the Council Chambers if he had to. Morphing would also mean that he would be back inside his restrictive armour again – but he had his "Ranger" and Battle modes to call upon. On the other hand, Weihan had a slew of other Powers to call upon – Powers that weren't powered by his Ultra Crystal. A positive side-effect of being on Eltare was the fact that his Ultra Crystal was now recharging faster than on Hadaes. It was still painfully slow – if he wanted his crystal to be full, he had to be on Eltare for about 150 years. 150 years was better than having to wait 500 years – but not by much. As they walked towards the heavily guarded VIP suites, Weihan's eyes flicked to the centrepiece statue. His breath caught in his throat as he stared.

It was a finely detailed statue depicting Zordon and the Universe's first ever Power Rangers. With some degree of amusement, Weihan noted that the Rangers were using the Dino Powers…and that the Green Ranger was with them. The Rangers were posed in battle ready stances – with their weapons held high – while Zordon stood in the middle, holding a sword that looked similar to Saba. The ancient sage was clad in his ancient Eltarean armour and fixed all who gazed upon him with a steely stare. As Weihan looked closer, he saw that the Zordon statue was more worn than the Rangers were – a sign that the statue had been placed there much earlier. Weihan knew that the sword Zordon held was Dorzon – Zordon's father who had been transformed by Rita. When the Light Thunder powers had been destroyed, Dorzon's soul had gone into the Grid – something that had saddened Zordon greatly. Ninjor caught him looking at the statue and squeezed his shoulder slightly. Of course, Weihan had made peace with Andros after a long series of talks. He understood what needed to happen for evil to be stopped. He had even played psychiatrist to the Red Space Ranger after the debacle with the Psycho Rangers. He had finally convinced the stubborn Ranger that Zordon's sacrifice wasn't in vain – that evil would continue to exist as long as there was good.

Finally, they reached the VIP suites. Weihan had insisted that he could store his belongings in his subspace pocket – but the Council had insisted that he stay in the building. For the life of him, he couldn't understand why. The talks were just going to last about thirty minutes anyway – but he knew that that was the average. He mentally braced himself for the backlash that would inevitably occur once the Council found out about the theft. Suddenly, Ninjor spoke – his jovial voice holding a slightly serious undertone.

"One thing you should be aware of. Since your last visit, Zedd has…come out."

Weihan furrowed his brow in confusion. Come out as what? Tommy had already told him a while ago that Lord Zedd was gay – but he guessed he hadn't called Ninjor in a while. He decided to let Ninjor continue on – it wouldn't hurt to have a bit of fun before the Council meeting. He felt his Crystal vibrate slightly – a tell tale sign that the Powers had been called upon. He sighed to himself and prayed for his Rangers – before turning to the ninja warrior and raising an eyebrow.

"Come out? Come out as what exactly?"

It was a rare treat for him – to see the normally straightforward Ninja master turn awkward. He went through about fifteen false starts before be cleared his throat and decided to bite the bullet. He spoke in a low voice – he didn't know how Weihan would react to the news.

"Zedd…is homosexual."

He had expected a lot of reactions to come from the Orange Ranger. Shock, disbelief – even hysterical laughter. Instead, he saw nothing except amusement. Ninjor was stunned to know that Weihan knew. Zedd had only told to Council a few weeks ago, but the Ranger was acting as if he had known for a long time. Ninjor could only stand aside – shaking his head in astonishment as Weihan opened the door to his room, flung his bag in unceremoniously and closed the door again. Weihan looked at Ninjor – finally deciding to take pity on the warrior. He snickered once – feeling his Crystal vibrate again – before lightly punching the master on the upper arm.

"Tommy told me a few years ago. I don't know how he knew and I don't want to know."

Ninjor openly gaped and shook his head a few times – as if to clear out the mess in his head. Weihan knew that Zedd was gay – and he had allowed him to act awkwardly. With a mock growl, the armoured Ninja jumped onto Weihan – but was a second too slow. The Ranger had leapt to one side and side-kicked Ninjor in the back. The Ninja master fell to the floor with a thump and raised his head weakly. He started to say something – but stopped and shook his head. He stood up and hit Weihan on the back of the head lightly, causing him to slightly stumble. Before he could do anything else – his Morpher bleeped again. Weihan frowned slightly – wondering what could be the problem, but he had said to call him if things went haywire. He tapped a button to open the holo-screen – and was greeted with Ronny's sweat drenched face. Ronny opened her mouth, closed it and opened it again – her voice hoarse with fatigue.

"Wei – I'm sorry to bother you again. The Patchers are destroyed but the monsters are a pain in the butt!"

Weihan opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off from a playful glare by Ronny. She knew what he had been thinking of – and she shot him a pointed glare. He inhaled sharply – realising what would be an effective solution to the current monster crisis. He nodded quickly, although his mind didn't want to leave the blissful memories of last night. Behind him, Ninjor pulled out his own communicator – a flat disc emblazoned with his "N" – and started speaking into it. It was clear that he would have to wrap up the conversation soon – he would have to get ready to meet the Council after all. His fingers flew across his keypad and he transmitted the information he had gathered through the subspace comm. link. Ronny's eyes flicked over the information and she smiled. Her voice was full of relief.

"Thanks, love. I've just sent you some interesting data from Kat just then. She put on quite the light show. Hope to hear from you soon about it! Ronny out."

The transmission winked out of existence – but was replaced with something more intriguing. On the holo-screen was a movie of Kat fighting the Patchers – without her War Wheel. He carefully watched the images, wondering what he would see. Suddenly, he saw Kat seemingly charge her arms and legs with Power – allowing her to strike devastating blows. His eyes widened as he processed what was happening. Like Conner, the Rangers were accessing more and more of their powers then before. He didn't know if there would be any similar power up to the "Super Dino Mode" – but he was counting on it. He felt the energy around him shift as he changed his clothes into the TinyWarz Battle Commander uniform. It wasn't a drastic change from what he usually wore, but the jacket was now more armoured and he sported a Blade Blaster on his right hip. He readied himself for the meeting that lay ahead of him…he felt nervous, but he knew it wasn't due to the Council Meeting. It was something else…something more elusive…something darker. He shook off the feeling and turning to a still-recovering Ninjor. He threw him a small grin.

"Ready?"

Ninjor nodded once and walked him towards the Main Chamber. Along the way, he spied various beings looking at him and his uniform in shock and respect. Frizz had done a lot to spread word that the TW Battle Group was there to protect everyone – not just those who could pay for it. In a way, it was very similar to what the Silver Guardians of Silver Hills had become – a protection force for everyone. Weihan had joked to Frizz that the Battle Group were akin to Power Rangers in their own right – they protected their own, they had cool weapons and they rode around in huge machines. Frizz had rolled his eye and shook his brain. Frizz knew there was a difference – but now with Drakor released…he let that thought trail off with a small shudder. He had to act. The High Council had to be informed of the re-emergence of the Fearcats, Dryken and the theft of the Silver Morpher. That last part alone was enough to make him cringe. The fight was his now, but the Council had to be informed. The doors swung inwards and he and Ninjor walked into the Main Chamber.

Weihan stopped at the doorway and looked around in awe. For all rights and purposes – it was an enormous room with lots of empty space. In the middle of the room was a long, curved platform – the middle of the room was a long, curved table – the centre holding a very familiar warp tube. On both sides of the tube were three high backed, leather chairs – where the High Council sat, patiently waiting for him. He sensed Ninjor hurrying to his seat – trying to look pompous and dignified, something in which he failed miserably at. For his part, Weihan was looking straight at the table that held the grim faces of the Councillors – two of which were holograms. He silently swept his gaze over the seven members of the High Council – a hologram of Dulcea, Ninjor, the transformed Master Vile – or Master Leiv, Dimitria in her warp tube, the now-human Lord Zedd, the hologram of the Mystic Mother aka Rita and the former space pirate Divatox. Steeling himself, Weihan took in a deep breath and stepped forward, where Dimitria addressed him.

"Weihan, while it is good to see you – you have things to tell us?"

Weihan inwardly groaned – he had hoped that Dimitria's habit of continually asking questions had been broken after the second generation of Turbo Rangers – but he nodded once. He wasn't sure where to start – a damn lot had happened since his last report the previous day. Dryken had been released a week prior, but he hadn't told the Council – a move he was now regretting. They knew about the return of the Fearcats and pretty much everything that had happened, but the main issue would be the theft of the Silver Morpher. As he opened his mouth to speak, Zedd noticed the item on his left wrist – his eyes widening slightly. When he spoke, his voice was trembling with a mix of anticipation, fear and wonder.

"Wei…is that…on your wrist? Is that a Morpher?"

Weihan nodded once – sending the reformed villain into a frenzy. Zedd got up out of his seat and rushed to examine the Morpher closer, jerking his arm up to the light. Leiv also got up from his seat, walked towards Wei and nodded to his Morpher. The Ranger grinned and – with some degree of difficulty – managed to unlatch the TW Tracker from his wrist. It was no easy feat considering Zedd's death grip on his arm. The Tracker had no sooner left his wrist when it sent out a muted red flash and vibrated once, closely followed by two more flashes – yellow and a blackish-purple respectively. Zedd nearly dropped the Tracker – but sent Wei a curious glance. He nodded back – signalling that it was safe to look at and sighed inwardly. The Rangers had summoned their Zords – not the battle vehicles, but the Zords. He hoped that the battle would go over smoothly – and that the Megazord protocols actually clicked into place like they were supposed to. He was aware that he needed to address the remaining Council Members and took in a deep breath.

"The situation on Hadaes has been escalated dramatically. An enemy thought to be long gone has resurfaced. I am talking about Dryken. The mutant that I thought was destroyed apparently used a clone to fake his own destruction. He revealed himself about a week ago, but that is not why I am here."

From her position inside her warp tube, Dimitria studied the young Ranger's face. She knew that Weihan wouldn't have hidden that information from the Council – but then again, he felt that Dryken was his responsibility. From her numerous talks with the reformed Lord Zedd, he had told her many things about his earlier days in Evil – including an incident that stood out firmly in her mind. He had trusted her not to speak of this information, but now it seemed that it would be beneficial to Weihan's knowledge. She could also sense that something else was bothering him – something that was broadcasting loudly through his normally shielded telepathic channels. Whatever it was, he would have to tell the Council of it later. She looked at the former Emperor of Evil – silently pleading him to allow her to share his information concerning Dryken. Zedd glanced up at her gaze and inwardly cringed. He knew how Dryken came to be – and he also knew who the man behind the mask was as well. Under the pretence of examining the Morpher's structure, he began remembering information that he had almost forgotten.

Flashback

_Lord Zedd stared at the new monster in front of him. He really didn't know what had come over him – to transform the human into a beast had not been his intent. He actually wanted to demonstrate a small amount of his power – to have him as his servant while being totally aware of his actions – but apparently he hadn't worked out all the kinks in his staff yet. He circled the beast warily – noticing that the human's mask had become fused with the flesh of his face. Not only that – but it seemed that his magic had taken it upon itself to transform pretty much all of his DNA into some…mutant alligator hybrid. Truthfully, it gave the Emperor the creeps thinking about the sciences that were involved. Well, that and it wasn't his forte. If he could have pursed his lips, he would have – but the metallic grate couldn't really move that much. He clucked his tongue and shook in head as he looked at the changed that he had unwittingly wrought._

_The man would never be a human again. That much was certain. Delving deeply into its skin cells, he saw that there was only 15 percent of the original DNA left. He noticed the muscles bulging under the pebbled skin – as if the beast wanted to rip his head off – but he knew that was impossible. His original intent was still there – to have the being under his control – no matter if the magic had morphed the flesh underneath. He did have a desire to find out what the former human knew – both about him and about the future…whatever it may be. He had to act fast though – the spell would seal off his memory in three hours, but during that time he would learn what the future held in store for him. He paused and motioned the beast to take a step forward. It did so, tottering unsteadily at first – before apparently balancing itself out. The dictator eyed the beast warily before finally noticing the tail protruding from its backside. If he didn't think it would be inappropriate to do so, Lord Zedd would have laughed out loud. Finally, he spoke to the creature – in a surprisingly steady voice._

"_Who are you and what is your name?"_

_Zedd was aware that both of those questions meant the same thing – but it was the first thing that had slipped out of his "mouth". He glared at the hybrid mutant – and when it finally spoke, its voice was raspy but deep – not the harsh and grating sound as the Dark Lord would have expected._

"_My name was Thomas Oliver – clone of the White Ranger, but now my name is Dryken, Warrior Mage and under the command of my Lord, Lord Zedd"_

_Zedd was stunned. White Ranger Clone? Who was the White Ranger? What was the White Ranger and why would anyone in their right mind clone him? No matter which side you were on – it was known that clones had a very limited life span and broke down in a matter of days. He also saw that there was an aura of magic around him. This intrigued the fleshman, causing him to ask the question that would turn his world upside down._

"_Where are you from? Who cloned you?"_

_Dryken cocked his head – trying to grab onto the memories before they were lost forever. He knew that he could not tell the fleshman in front of him the entire truth – but he was spellbound to. In the deepest recesses of Dryken's mind, the part that was still Thomas Oliver screamed in protest – but quietened once he found no alternative. After what seemed like eternity, he found an answer that was the complete truth. He opened his mouth – now a long snout and spoke aloud, his voice echoing._

"_I was cloned in the late spring of the year 1994 in Angel Grove – on a planet known as Earth. I was cloned by the would be rulers of that time – yourself and Rita Repulsa – as what they though was an effective way to get rid of the White Ranger – Tommy Oliver. To bring me into being, they enlisted the help of the Wizard of Deception, who cloned me and sent five of the Rangers into their past – which by my standards was approximately eight years ago."_

_Zedd was floored. The future? Earth? The Wizard of Deception? None of it made sense – let alone the fact that he would be working with Rita Repulsa of all people. Last he had heard, Rita was still in that infernal dumpster of hers. He shook his head once – trying to banish the thoughts, emotions and – most importantly – the doubt from his mind. he turned to the beast once again and asked him who was the Primary Target on Earth. As he said the words "Primary Target", he rolled his eyes – cursing the stupidity of the words. However – the answer that he received shook him for the second time in ten minutes._

"_The Primary Target on Earth are the legendary Ultra Crystals. The Secondary Target is Zordon and the Coins of Power. However, due to the interference of your bother Xonix, the Secondary Target has been made into the Primary one."_

_If he could have, Zedd would have squeezed his eyes shut in frustration. He had heard more than enough – but it seemed that Dryken wasn't about to stop. He held up a hand, silencing the warrior and shook his head. If he wasn't sure what would be damaged, he would have raked at his brain at the helplessness of his situation. He didn't want any knowledge of the future, sure – it might be a good thing, but it would go to his head. He chewed the inside of his cheek in deep thought – before vowing to himself to forget the past fifteen minutes had never occurred._

End Flashback

Except, they _had_ occurred – but Zedd was able to forget it, up until the Zordon Wave. He had wondered about the information, but had tucked it away in the back of his mind – never to be accessed. He looked up from his false examination and nodded once – both to Dimitria and to the Mystic Mother. Rita never knew about what had happened to the clone – and this information was likely to shock her. He slowly stepped away from Weihan, returned the Morpher and walked to stand next to Dimitria's tube. He cleared his throat loudly – causing all occupants to look at him. When he spoke, his voice betrayed none of the apprehensiveness he was feeling.

"I know the identity of the monster called Dryken."

Weihan stood straighter – he knew that what Zedd had to say was important. Any information on Dryken was important. Almost unconsciously, he strapped on his TW Tracker and nodded to Zedd – a signal to continue. Zedd swallowed – wanting to sink into a hole then and there. Weihan didn't need to hear this – he had enough things on his plate – but this was information that could potentially help him. Zedd steeled himself for the reaction – more nervous than when he'd publicly come out – and spoke.

"Dryken is the clone of Tommy Oliver"


	16. The Council: Part 2

A/N: Well, it's updated. Gonna be updated more in the near future.

Part 2

Weihan looked at Zedd as if he had lost his mind. His rational mind knew that what the former dictator said was the truth – but he didn't want to accept it. For all he knew, Tommy's clone had been left in Colonial Angel Grove to live out the rest of his life. If he had survived all these years – clone or not – wouldn't he be more…wrinkly? The Council members were shocked and stunned – a clone of a Power Ranger turned into the Orange Ranger's worst enemy…besides Xonix. He didn't know what to do – besides blink stupidly. A million and one thoughts were racing through his head, none of them pleasant – but all of them important. Dryken – the creature that had drained the Operation Overdrive Rangers of most of their powers and memories – was the forgotten clone of the Greatest Ranger on Earth. He wanted to know what Zedd knew – he needed to know. His eyes flicked to where the redeemed villain stood and the man shuddered. He began to speak – outlining all of his memories of that day.

Weihan barely heard the words, a surge of guilt racing through his entire body. He knew that something was awry – soon after they had returned to the present he had felt oddly weakened and strengthened. Zordon had said that it was due to a flux in the Power Grid – but that could've meant anything. Thinking of that moment, he was aware that other moments like that had happened in the past – moments where he was weak, yet strong. He barely heard the shocked and surprised exclamations of the Council members as Zedd finished his explanation. There was a prolonged silence – broken only by the sound of Zedd breathing heavily. Sensing Weihan's apprehension and doubt, the fleshman walked over to the Ranger and placed an awkward hand on his shoulder. His voice was silent – yet strained heavily.

"I want you to know, Wei, that even I thought that monster was long gone. I thought if I had been redeemed during the Wave, he would have been as well."

Weihan continued to stare at seemingly nothing, unblinking. He heard the words and felt a pang of sympathy for the Ranger Dryken had once been – even if he was just a clone. He squeezed his eyes shut and willed the thoughts back. Whoever Dryken had once been was no concern to him – not now. If it were Tommy in his position, questions would be asked – and answers would be demanded. But forcefulness wasn't his style – never had been. For all he knew – the clone of Tommy was dead and Dryken had twisted and warped his body. Weihan grinned wryly – that was true, but it was like saying Darth Vader had killed Anakin Skywalker. Pushing that moment of levity aside, Weihan was brought back onto the main track by a question from the Mystic Mother. Her voice was a far cry from the screeching it had once been – but held a touch of steel.

"So, if what you are saying is true – if Dryken has indeed been brought back – why are we only hearing about it now?"

Weihan cast his eyes down as embarrassment and humility coursed through him. He didn't tell them because he didn't want his Ranger Status stripped away from him. As silly as that may have been – being a Ranger was all he knew. In many cases, it was his entire life – even more than Tommy. If the Power was taken away from him – he knew he would still help out, even if it got him killed. As he thought of that, something came to the forefront of his mind – something that Ronny had told him. She said that when they had lost their powers, the Sentinel Knight had told Mack that if he continued to fight for what was right, he would always have power. And there was something else that the crystal had told him: that no one – Morphin Master or otherwise – could strip him of his Powers. That they were bonded to him so deeply that even in his death, they would not dissipate – but would continue to empower his spirit. That kinda freaked him out – the thought that he would become something like the Phantom Ranger, but he wouldn't let it bother him. He squared his shoulders and looked straight into the eyes of the Inquirian mentor.

"I didn't tell the Council because Dryken is my problem to deal with. True, there are other factors that contributed to his return, but it is mostly my problem to deal with. However, there is one issue that is massively important."

He paused and opened his mouth to continue – but was distracted by a flash from his Morpher. Totally ignoring the Council, he lifted the device up to eye level and activated the holo-map. Instantly, he was rewarded with an external shot of the TinyZords in action. Muted gasps of surprise and shock came from the Council as they saw the three massive machines engage a mutated creature. Cursing under his breath, Wei tagged the monster and brought up whatever stats the scanners had on it. It seemed to be called .Exe – which was an apt name – considering the jumble of parts it seemed to be made up from. He winced as the Katana took a nasty blow and tapped the representation – bringing up the Command Menu. He barely noticed Zedd coming to stand behind him as he tapped on the icons for a Power Burst and an Energy Barrier – the Katana's image flashing briefly as the Commands were accepted. Satisfied that he didn't have to do anything for now, he addressed the Council once more – while glancing at the battle out of the corner of his eye. His words were heavy, laced with barely suppressed anger, sorrow and fear.

"The Silver Morpher has been taken."

All of the Council shot on their feet at that – yelling and waving wildly. Weihan sighed and applied a Power Surge to Ronny's Zord, bringing her shields back up. He knew the Council would react like this – but he was mildly surprised that the Mystic Mother wasn't participating in the debate. She had apparently realised that she wasn't going to be heard and had sat down –her holographic image wavering slightly. She saw that the Orange Ranger was looking at her and gave him a small glare. He sighed and let the Council tire themselves out with their yelling over each other, stretching and rolling his shoulders – and almost hitting Zedd in the face. For some reason, he felt like something was going to happen very soon. He didn't know what it was – just that there was a feeling of Darkness. And it was coming closer. Suddenly, a piercing shriek came over the internal speakers – causing everyone to clutch at their ears in pain. The culprit was none other than Dulcea – who was spinning her staves in order to shut the room up. The Ninjetti Guardian ceased the spinning and snapped her staff back together – glaring at the Council. The holographic image wavered slightly as she spoke – her voice radiating disapproval.

"Yes, the Morpher has been stolen. I have felt it through the Morphin Grid. It has been lost to evil – but not to Drakor. It is in the hands of someone who has his or her own agenda."

Weihan swore to himself. He had a strong idea of who the person was – but he didn't have any evidence to back up his claims. He was about to say as much – when he heard a faint sound coming from his Morpher. Lifting up the device once more, he tapped a button – re-opening up the communication link. Ronny's voice burst out through the speakers, her desperation evident.

"Weihan – we've got a problem. We're up against a giant monster and we've exhausted all options. What can I do?"

The Orange Ranger smiled and tapped the visual link. He knew what had to be done – the mutation had already decimated a fair amount of their base's external defences. He took in a deep breath and spoke to his lover's helmeted face.

"Push the Red Button. For Simon and Kat tell them to pull their colour coded levers. Then – you will know what to do. The High Council and I will be keeping track of your battle. Be careful. Be safe."

He couldn't see her reaction, but he could imagine it was one of love. He closed off the transmission, but the communication link kept flashing. Furrowing his brow, he opened up the link once more – ignoring the murmurs from the Council as they processed what was happening. After a short burst of static, Weihan was surprised to see Frizz's tank – the Supreme Commander's brain pulsating wildly. He saw Zedd raising an eyebrow at the sight, but said nothing. The Ranger nodded at his former Superior, motioning for him to speak, but he noticed that the message seemed to be recorded – as if Frizz didn't know if it would be heard. That was impossible though – he had spoken to Ronny just then and told her what to do. His carried a heavy note of fear and a sense of urgency.

"LordRex, DrMordecai informed you of the teleportation beams we detected right? Well, Sat's done a scan of their path…and they're headed to Eltare. But that's only five of the beams. We've got no intel on where the last beam's going – but it looks like it was headed for Earth. I tell you, get off that rock LR! Radar scanners scanned to beams headed to Eltare and there're three powerful beings…with two groups of twelve lumped together…seems like a small invasion force or something."

Weihan swore under his breath again – the same time as Ninjor. Rita cocked an eyebrow at their language, but said nothing. She was thinking of the Silver Morpher…and the energy it possessed. She knew Weihan wouldn't have let it been taken voluntarily, but he had always kept it on his person somewhere – unless he had taken it out momentarily. Ranger or not, she knew that even the most hard-willed people were sometimes susceptible to the dark lures of Evil. Or maybe it was something totally innocent – she didn't know, but she knew that she had to talk to Dulcea in depth to know what the Ninjetti Guardian knew. Master Leiv eyed his daughter warily. She was up to something – he knew, but if it was to the benefit of the High Council, he wouldn't interfere. He thought about what the brain had said – the force consisted of three powerful forms and twenty-four smaller forms. That would mean three generals and a group of grunts, but surely they wouldn't be so bold to attack Eltare head on. The security around the Council Chambers would be enough of a deterrent. He continued to listen to what else had to be said – with a growing sense of fear.

"LR, I gotta say something. We did a few scans of the fifth signature and compared it to that beast the Rangers were fighting earlier. The big crocodile beast thing, you know what I'm saying. The signatures matched. Now, the Rangers are battling that creature right outside the blast doors, so they can't help you. Konu's taking a pounding from the Bandits – so the Battle Group can't help you either. We can't help Earth or even warn it – one of the wayward blasts from the Bee thing wiped out all interspace communication – but it didn't fry those links you whipped up. I don't know what's headed your way or if you'll even get this – but be careful. I don't know if I can say this to you or not, but…uh…may the Power protect you."

Frizz's image fizzled out – leaving the Council to digest the information. Weihan sagged under the weight of the information and squeezed his eyes shut. He felt a deep sense of darkness and evil emanating from the upper atmosphere of the planet and realised that the High Council was under attack. He sucked in a breath and faced Dimitria. He would get a message of victory out to his Rangers no matter what happened. He silently sent out a message to Ronny – telling her to be safe – before sighing heavily. He knew Ronny had psychic ability that borderlined on non-existent, but then again they had a connection to each other. He silently shrugged off Zedd's concerned grip and gave out instructions to the Council. In the distance, he could hear the first muted explosions as the attack began. He held up his Morpher once again and spoke into it – recording a message to send to the Rangers.

"Guys, you have survived your first battle. I am proud to officially grant you the title of Power Rangers. The High Council would also like to convey their pride."

He slowly swung his Morpher around to the assembled Council members, before abruptly switching off the recording and sending it. The prideful comments from the Council wouldn't do much to the Rangers – it would just make them celebrate more. It certainly wouldn't teach them anything. He explained this to the Council…and was met with the raucous laughter of all the reformed villains and Dimitria. Dulcea looked amused, but she hadn't started laughing, merely distracted and concentrating on something else. Weihan knew that she was tracking the progress of whatever had landed on the planet. He left her to her tracking and concentrated on silencing the laughter. Zedd was the first to recover – his voice filled with an extreme amount of mirth.

"Oh that was rich. Imagine that – the second Greatest Ranger ever preaching to us that prideful speech doesn't teach anyone anything."

Weihan rolled his eyes as the assembled villains quietened. He could hear the explosions clearer now – the entire Council could. He swallowed and slowly turned to face the door, taking slow and deliberate steps backward. He could hear yells, screams and familiar laughter from outside. A loud crashing sound – that meant that the statue of Zordon had been tipped over. More laughter and laser blasts – the security were losing pretty badly…even though they were on par with Power Rangers, Eltarean training wasn't the best in the galaxy. Weihan swallowed hard and tensed up – ready to take on anything that came through the doors, a quick check around him told him that the other Council members were gearing up for battle as well.

The doors disappeared in a massive explosion…and the room was plunged into blackness.

TBC…


	17. Warrior of Honour

Disclaimer: Tinywarz/Dropshock is not mine. Power Rangers is not mine. Jacqui Apple is a humanised Applejack and Applejack is property of Hasbro. I own everything else not recognised.

A/N: 2 years later and there's an update! Finally…and it pushes TW Rangers over the threshold to 50K words!

Chapter 15 – Warrior of Honour

The door blew in, sending chunks of reinforced steel flying. The council ducked instinctively, though the metal posed no threat to Dimitria, Dulcea or Rita. Weihan ducked, narrowly avoiding a falling beam, terminating the recording and readied his TW Tracker for morphing. Through the smoke and haze, he saw two figures approaching. They were both misshapen figures; humanoid - he could see that much – but grossly deformed.

The tallest figure had a strangely expressionless face – with an exposed brain and three eyes joined at the centre. It was wearing what could only have been described as Sha'Kahr armour and it held a fearsome broadsword in one tightly clenched fist. Atop its head, its brain pulsed with each step it took on its mechanical legs, which made the ground lightly tremble. As it drew closer, Ninjor shuddered at the look in its eyes - a glare that radiated open hatred and hostility to the High Council.

The other figure was shorter, but no less threatening. Powerful muscles rippled under its pebbled skin as it flexed its four arms. Held in each of its fists were four wickedly sharp short swords, the blades glistening with fresh blood. A predatory grin stretched its relatively normal face - revealing rows and rows of needle sharp teeth. Wei saw that it only wore a silver breastplate for protection – almost as if it was sure of victory. On top of its head was a halo of horns. The taller one seemed to grin – although its mouth never moved and "spoke" - a powerful telepathic voice ringing in their heads.

"Greetings, I am Drakor - Sha'Kahr Overlord. This is my loyal lieutenant, Spurex."

Weihan stared in shock. The mysterious Drakor and his henchman unveiled at last. Behind them, he could see the twin forms of the Fearcats plus strange metallic soldiers. He guessed those were the Patchers that Ronny and the others had just fought. Around him, the other members of the Council were preparing themselves for battle; readying spells and drawing their weapons. He noted with some amusement that the transmissions of Dulcea and Mystic Mother had vanished but he didn't dwell on that thought for long.

"This is the High Council room? I have not set foot in it for many years but Zordon would not allow me to even come close to the outskirts. How the mighty have fallen."

Weihan growled under his breath and slowly stood up. He wished he could summon his Ultra Ranger armour or even his Raptor Sabre, but with his crystal almost drained; it was a fool's hope. As Drakor swung his glassy eyes on him, he prepared himself.

"Drakor. You should not be here. You should have asked Xonix what happens to those who cross the Ultra Rangers."

"Really, Ranger? What about you? You are here and not on Earth. Who is there to protect those you have left behind? Who is there to protect the Apple of your eye?"

Weihan creased his brow as he tried to make sense of Drakor's words. The Apple of his eye and there had been a slight emphasis placed on the word apple. The idiom meant someone that was cherished above all others but at this moment that would be Ronny and she wasn't on Earth. As his brain flicked through all the people in his life, his eyes widened as it struck him.

Jacqui Apple.

The news reporter who had been by his side for most of his first campaign against Xonix. The one who he had urged to leave right before the final battle. The one who he had confessed his love to and the one who was living in San Angeles and had covered a few of the Overdrive Rangers' battles. He knew she wasn't married but was in a committed relationship with another man. He felt his blood boil and balled his fists with anger. With barely contained rage in his voice, he pointed at Drakor.

"I'm going to defeat you here and then I will go to Earth and personally decimate your monster. Tinywarz, Accelerate!"

Pressing two fingers on the activation button, the flywheel cover irised open and the wheel began to spin rapidly. In a flash of light, Weihan was morphed into his TW Ranger armour. As the information on his visor began to pour into his brain, he took a few moments to look at his costume. He was clad in a solid orange bodysuit with the only other colour being his red streaked gloves and boots and the black belt that encircled his waist. Glancing at his visor, he noted with some amusement that his helmet bore a striking resemblance to the Utahraptor, but it looked more wolfish. Glancing down at his chest and a small smile formed on his face. A vest of armour extremely similar to the Defender Vest covered the upper portion of his chest. The usual compass symbol was overlaid with the flaming V of the Tinywarz Rangers and something nagged at Weihan's mind. Dismissing it, he settled into an offensive stance

"Warrior of Honour – Orange Ranger!"

The battle for the control of Eltare had begun. There would be no turning back now.

TBC…


	18. Mists of the Past

AN: I had to write this chapter after that line in the most recent Ultra Crystals chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 16 – Mists of the Past

Drakor laughed at the scene in front of him.

Blastsaur was the best creature he had found on Onyx that seemed to be suited for the challenge. He wondered exactly who this Jacqui Apple was and why she was so important to the Orange Ranger. There was so much about this strange new world that was unfamiliar to him yet the stance in front of him triggered a memory of his containment. He had seen a similar stance to this before the power had ripped into his body and he had found himself in a place of swirling darkness. He knew the chances of the two Rangers being one and the same was infinitesimally small and would only be possible if there was a rip in time and space…which was impossible. He could see Spurex had started attacking the blue-armoured warrior and the other members of the High Council were…well, he wasn't one to use human slang but he would say they were 'scared shitless'.

"A fourth Ranger will not make a difference. You will fall as easily as she will!"

Behind his helmet, Weihan snarled at the monster in front of him. While Drakor wasn't as physically intimidating as Xonix's many forms or even the final form of the ponified Zedd; there was a wave of oppressing power that radiated from the Sha'Kahr Overlord that made him slightly unnerved. For the first time, he wouldn't be going up against an Evil with the almighty power of his Ultra Crystal to back him up and couldn't change armour modes in the heat of battle. He was just glad he had decided to recreate the Crocodile Sai for his Tinywarz Power…then again; the powers _were_ powered by his Ultra Crystal. Still, he had to hold out on not pulling them out just yet. He wanted the moment to be just right and he would surprise the would-be conqueror. Still, he had to stay calm and in control of the situation. Forcing his voice to stay calm and upbeat, he spoke.

"Drakor, there's two things you need to learn about Rangers. One: we're not so easily defeated. We rise up from our lowest point, stronger than before. We learn about our opponents and develop strategies for them individually. If there's evil in the Universe, the Rangers will defeat it."

He certainly hoped he sounded as confident as he normally was. Not one was there the wave of power coming from Drakor; he could swear there was another Ranger nearby. He blinked in surprise as a tendril of green energy drifted in front of his face and he had to hold himself back to keep from shouting in shock. Alex wasn't supposed to be on Eltare. As far as he knew, his friend was on his thirtieth try to win back Rachel from Matt and was steadily gaining ground…well, according to his last conversation with her. Without dropping his hands from their offensive position, he switched on the HUD radar and scanned the battlefield for the location of the energy. The Fearcats were ordering around the patchwork grunts and Ninjor was getting his ass kicked by the four-armed fighter. Master Vile and Zedd were flinging spell bolts at the grunts and were reducing most of them to scrap. Divatox was nowhere to be seen, but he could hear her barking out orders from one of the side halls.

Keeping an eye on Drakor as the Overlord tried to figure out the meaning of his words, his eyes widened in surprise as the scanners detected a very slight fluctuation of the time/space continuum directly behind Drakor. There was more greenish energy coming from it and, if he squinted hard enough, he could just make out the form of the Green/Black Ultra Ranger. However, the image of the Ranger he could see was much younger than the man he knew and he wondered when this had happened in the past. Stretching out his own energy, he felt the energy fields meet for the briefest of moments before Drakor 'spoke' again.

"Big talk for a pathetic insect. What is the second thing?"

He could see an image in his mind's eye. The younger Ranger was on a ship of some kind and had just tapped into an extraordinary amount of power to destroy the flagship of the Inquiran Pirates. That didn't make sense; the Inquiran Pirates had been wiped out in a battle a couple of years ago…but he guessed anything was possible for the Rangers. It _was_ what Tommy and Kim always said in every single strange situation that seemed to crop up. He wondered what Alex would say if he questioned him on it and wondered if he would even remember the event in question. Blinking back to reality as the presence vanished; he smirked under his helmet and prepared to throw himself into battle.

"No matter how strong you are; how tough the monster; how demoralising the blow to our ranks…we will never give up."

TBC…


	19. Resolved Mystery

AN: And we have an update roughly a year after the last one. You need to have read the Yellow Pain chapter of Ultra Crystals: Gaiden to understand this chapter.

Chapter 17 – Resolved Mystery

He could have kicked himself.

That line was, quite possibly, one of the cheesiest he had ever uttered in his long history as a Ranger. Even his threats against Xonix, Discord or Lidars weren't that bad; though he guessed he had the benefit of hindsight on those final battles. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the monster still battling the more active fighters on the Council Guard. A few of the moves by one of the fighters made him pause slightly and furrow his brow in thought before he shook himself out of his slight daze. It was much better to deal with Drakor now and worry about it later than be consumed with ten trillion ideas and bursts of speculation at once. There was also less chance of him being skewered by that broadsword as well. Wishing he could call on his Raptor Sabre, he settled for a defensive stance that would allow him to quickly attack from a place of protection.

"Really, a stance from a world more backwater than Earth? I expected more from a Champion of Zordon."

He blocked out all the sound from the fights around him and waited for the Sha'Kahr warlord to make the first move. The tiny, guttering flame of his full Ultra Powers was burning brightly inside him but he couldn't dip his fingers into that well yet as it would more than likely flicker out. Of course, the Power itself wouldn't die; it would just be sent into a 'holding pattern' of sorts until it could be recharged – either at the source or over the thousands of years. Or maybe there was another option, he wasn't so sure about that. It would be certainly something to think about seeing as, voices or not, he didn't seem like he was journeying into the past anytime soon. That thought produced another twinge of strange familiarity in the back of his mind, one he had to brush away quickly in time with his dodge of Drakor's blade. As the polished metal came down once more, he raised his arms to block the blade, hoping he didn't end up literally disarmed. Luckily, the woven armour in his gloves was able to deflect and dissipate the majority of the impact – so much so that the blade almost bounced off. Pushing the surprised warlord away, he wondered exactly how high he had dialled up the Power settings on the construction case.

"Impressive, it seems I underestimated the powers of a fully-powered Ranger. Wait, you aren't fully powered, are you? I have done my research and have seen footage of your battles both on Earth and on Huran."

Weihan shook his head violently, not noticing the Council Guard turn his helmeted head to look at them. The reptilian creature was being slowly beaten back, the Fearcats and the grunts were shooting up everything merrily and the four-armed warrior had retreated under a final barrage of magical bolts from the spell-casters. The warlord didn't seem to mind that his forces were being defeated fairly easily, a thought that unnerved him somewhat. The other thing that unnerved him was that Drakor had watched records of his past battles with Xonix, Psychogre and Lidars. He had seen everything and knew exactly what he was capable of. Then again, he wasn't really fighting on the same level anymore. His Ultra Crystal was generating the power for the Rangers and the base, he had left the Ranger Sentinels to look after Earth after his fight alongside the Overdrive Rangers, he was using new and never-tested powers against an evil warlord and…he had other powers that didn't really run on the Ultra Grid. That small fact at the end was his trump card in the current battle; if Drakor wasn't smart enough to leave of his own volition; well, he would have to finally bust out the Giant Squid for something other than the Firestorm Megazord.

The two warriors circled each other, oblivious to the chaos that was quietening around them as Drakor's minions fled or were defeated. Weihan thought he heard one of the Fearcats cry out in pain before being swallowed up in a teleportation beam but he couldn't be sure. For all he knew, the Rangers had decided to disobey his orders and come to Eltare to back him up. If he wanted to be honest with himself, that was the kind of reckless behaviour he would expect from Simon; though the Yellow Ranger was behaving himself since learning of his experiences. A faint memory drifted through his mind of sitting in the Ultra Cavern with Jason, talking about his problems with Emily and discussing names for his future kids. Tightening his fingers into a fist, he dismissed the idea as Jason had said nothing about Emily and what had happened after he had stumbled into an anomaly in London. Well, stranger things had happened to the former Red Ranger than being chased by a living version of his Zord.

The first attack came out of left field, sparks flying as the blade raked over the front of his armour. The blow sent him staggering back but he kept himself upright and countered with an attack of his own. The double fisted blow he had learnt, what seemed like a lifetime ago, on Huran struck the crystalline breastplate with a rather heavy thud, sending a small shockwave of energy into the creature. Drakor stumbled back once more, farther than the Orange Ranger had and shook his head. The pathetic insect had managed to use one of the ancient techniques but that information wouldn't go a long way if he was to continue fighting unarmed. Psychically roaring in anger, he raised his blade and sent it crashing down hard on the right shoulder of the Ranger. A geyser of sparks flew from the locked metal and he wished he could have found a way to smile in glee. He sensed an errant telepathic thought coming from the Ranger in front of him, though it seemed to be headed in the direction of the solar system he had come from. Well, whatever had been sent would be useless to whoever was unlucky enough to receive the thought.

Drakor was aware the others had staged a temporary retreat. This was all part of the plan to capture Eltare, much like the Dark Spectre had once done. Of course, if what he had read was correct information, this had been done to capture Zordon and the Dark Spectre had vacated the planet soon after. Ultimately, this had been the wrong move as it had allowed the forces of good to rally around the current Power Rangers of the time. The Red Ranger of that team had been the one to deal the death blow to the leader of Good…something he still wasn't able to forgive. He mentally ground his teeth together and applied more pressure to the blade pressing down on the Ranger. He chuckled wickedly as he heard the metal begin to crack and splinter under the blade, realising it wouldn't be long now for this so-called Orange Ranger to fall. Finally, his name would be up amongst the greats of Evil once more and he would be hailed as the destroyer of the Orange Ultra Ranger.

"Fall now!"

At the bellowing mental shout of Drakor, several things happened at once. Firstly, the followers of Drakor, including the Fearcats and the monster, reappeared in the Council Chambers and began their attack anew. Zedd, Leiv and many others were caught off guard by the onslaught and struggled hard to defend themselves against the fresh wave. Although the patchwork soldiers were little more than scrap metal on the ground, their absence was not missed as powerful laser blasts cut through the air once more – one even slicing through the holographic representation of Dulcea. Secondly, to counteract the fresh attack, more and more Council Guards ran into the room from their outer posts, converting their side-arm blasters to short daggers with a flick of the wrist. Weihan could have sworn that one of the guards, the one that had possibly looked at him earlier, moved closer to his location but he had other and much more pressing things to deal with…horrible pun not intended.

The third, and slightly more disastrous, thing to happen was the armour breach of his suit. His Ranger Armour sparked a final time and vanished completely, leaving him in his TW uniform and a blade slicing into his shoulder. As the sword was roughly removed from his body, he collapsed to the ground and channelled whatever meagre power he had left inside him to heal the gash in his shoulder. The edges of the bloody tear flickered with faint orange light and began to knit slowly together, the Cerberus Crystal channelling the majority of the healing energy. Rivers of sweat ran down his face, matting his hair to his head and he snarled viciously as he saw one of the Fearcats lifting an intact, but inert, Patcher. Instinctively, he brought up his Tracker and rolled his eyes as he saw the mini-countdown timer slowly ticking down. Why he had thought putting a timer to gauge the self-repair of the Armour was a good thing, he would never know. Leaping away from another swing, he pressed the communicator button and spoke into the receiver.

"Guys! Eltare is under attack! Do not, I repeat – do NOT come here! Use the time for training and repairs! Don't worry about me!"

Hearing the dull clang of metal on metal, he looked in the direction of the sound – only to duck as the Patcher flew over his head. If he hadn't looked, there was no doubt he would have been out cold and at the mercy of Drakor and his forces. His strange and almost stalking Council Guard was closer now and he could see that there was a distinctly female form under the masculine armour. The moves she was pulling off looked oddly familiar and he wracked his brain trying to figure out where he had seen them before. Saving that thought for later, he spoke once more into the receiver, to who he hoped were the Rangers.

"Drakor is here. He is leading this attack. Try to find out where their base is located. Use the vehicles in garage O1. I _will_ see you all again. Ronny, I love you."

Ending the transmission as the wound finally sealed itself, he looked around him in resignation. It looked like the battle was lost. Drakor was only a few moves away from successfully conquering Eltare; something that hadn't been done since the attack that had been headed by Psychogre years ago. On the other hand, if they fought with the same level of bravado and efficiency as they were doing now, they could stop the conquering force dead in its tracks. He had no illusions to their chances but was determined to go down fighting. Swallowing down the uncomfortable comparisons to how his first 'life' had ended, he rose to his feet and summoned the bracelet that held the Cerberus Crystal. A wave of power flowed through him but, before he could summon its mighty power, he was knocked off his feet by a stray laser blast. Struggling to get to his feet, he thought about the words he had spoken to Ronny just a few moments ago. Now that he knew that a creature was on its way to Earth to hunt down AJ, he was more determined than ever to see that he survived the battle so he could reconcile with her. Of course, that would mean pulling the plug on his relationship with Ronny unless something like what happened with Karone happened.

"Are you all right?"

The slightly growling voice took him by surprise and he blinked hard as the female Council Guard appeared in his line of sight. Sometime during the battle, her full-face helmet had been knocked away to reveal the warrior underneath. To say that she reminded him greatly of the female Rangers on Huran was a gross understatement, though she looked incredibly similar to Droas. Her facial horns had been shorn down to small nubs of keratin and her hair was practically non-existent, save for two strands of gold that rested on either shoulder. He nodded once and picked himself off the ground, the bracelet with the Cerberus Crystal shining brightly. He couldn't afford not to use the power but he had other things up his sleeves. Taking out a standard-issue energy blaster from inside his jacket, he fired a few blasts at Drakor before ducking down next to the slightly stunned Huran.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Massiw."

All right, that wasn't a lot of information to go on but she looked like she was trying to process something in her mind. He certainly hoped she wasn't going to turn on the attitude that Droas had once spouted at him. He shook his head, wondering why the Yellow Huran Ranger's antics were popping up in his mind now. On another note, the inside of his mind felt…crawly, if that was even the right word to use in that context. It reminded him of downloading his memories into the Simul-Deck in the Ultra Cavern but he didn't know why his mind would be crawling right now. In fact, the only species that could have initiated the 'rummaging' was…oh shit. Turning towards the female Huran, he could have kicked himself yet again as he saw the shocked expression on her face. Severing the mental connection, he opened his mouth to explain what she had quite possibly seen when she croaked out an answer he was _not_ expecting.

"I…I am Droas' sister."

TBC…


End file.
